Bilbo Baggins and the Thirteen Dwarves
by PinguThePenguin
Summary: Lord Smaug had always been the fairest in the land, until a servant Bilbo Baggins officially became of age. In an attempt at murder, Bilbo runs away from the castle, and finds himself in the company of twelve dwarves. All who are shocked but pleased at Bilbo's sudden arrival. But Smaug has not stopped his plan for Bilbo's death. Thorin/Bilbo, one-sided Bilbo/Bofur.
1. Part 1

**Author's Note: **This story is completed, and was meant to be a one-shot, but turned out to be WAY too long to be a one-shot, so I'm splitting it into different chapters. This is merely part 1. There will probably be about four or five parts.

The story took about a month to write, so I hope you enjoy and I hope my work was cut through for me!  
Thank you! :D

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing related to the Hobbit and nothing related to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. I only own the computer I typed it on.

_**Bilbo Baggins and the Thirteen Dwarves**_

Once upon a time, in a kingdom called The Shire, there lived, and ruled, an evil king. His name was Smaug. King Smaug was a very vain king, and loved nothing more than himself and gold. And every day, Smaug would ask his magic mirror who the fairest in all of Middle Earth was. And the mirror would always reply that Smaug was. But, unfortunately, Smaug's vanity was never truly satisfied. For he had many servants working among his palace, but only one of them could dare to match his fairness. And that servant was a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins.

Bilbo was fairly small and petite compared to other hobbits of his age, and had honey brown curls flowing freely about his face, and his deep green eyes contrasted with his soft, pale skin. He had a kind and generous heart, many would say, and always had a smile on his face. Smaug was deeply troubled by this. He knew that the older Bilbo got, the lovelier he would become. So as Bilbo grew up, Smaug beat him far more often than the other servants. His scars were always visible on his pale face, but Bilbo continued to keep his spirits up as well as he could. And his life remained this way until the day he turned thirty-three and officially came of age.

And that happens to be the day our story begins.

Smaug was staring at himself in his gold-encrusted magical mirror, admiring his fine sharp features, and dark hair. He did this as it was part of his morning routine. He would primp in the mirror a little bit every day before asking it the usual question to get his usual, satisfying answer. "Mirror, mirror on the wall," he finally called out, after deeming himself handsome enough. "who is the fairest of them all?" his deep voice rumbled through the empty throne room.

Suddenly, a face appeared in the mirror amidst a vast array of grayed smoke. It took a few seconds for the face to become clearly visible, but once it was, it began to speak. "As handsome as you seem, Majesty," it said in a wispy voice. "I see now someone who is more fair than thee."

"What?!" Smaug recoiled in shock and rage. "But how can this be? I am, and always have been, the fairest in the land!" And it had seemed true. Many people throughout the land had greatly commended Smaug on his good looks, and he always took the compliments in extremely high regards. No one ever received as much praise as him. "Give me a name, mirror!" Smaug demanded. "What is the name of the one who surpasses my beauty?"

"His name, you know, and know well indeed. Bilbo Baggins is his name, for he himself knows no greed." The mirror spoke calmly.

Smaug was beyond furious. His face contorted red in rage and he let out a roar of frustration so loud that it could be heard in the castle garden where, in fact, Bilbo Baggins was scrubbing the stone stairs that led down to the garden pathway with a brush and a bucket of water. He jumped at King Smaug's roar, and found himself staring up at a window that showed the throne room Smaug was most likely in.

After a moment, Bilbo felt something small nudge at his hand. His green eyes widened and glanced down at a squirrel that was looking up at him with unblinking eyes. Bilbo smiled down at it, and petted it's furry head gently with a single finger. "Do not worry, little squirrel." He spoke gently to the creature. "I am sure everything is alright. The King is only in a foul mood, and he will get better later. Just you wait." And he was about to soak the brush in his bucket once again, but he found it empty. "Oh dear," he sighed. "I will have to go back to the well for more." And the well, unfortunately, was a long walk away, resting on the edge of Mirkwood Forest. But because Bilbo was so positive, he said, "Oh well, it is a lovely day for a walk anyway!" and strolled off to the forest with his bucket in hand.

However, at the same moment, not too far away, the all majestic King Thorin Oakenshield of Erebor, the greatest dwarf kingdom in all Middle Earth, was making his way across the lands to meet with his kinsmen dwelling in the Iron Hills. Though there was only one problem; he had to pass through Mirkwood Forest. And this was a problem because the forest was infested with spiders. But not the small, tiny spiders you could take in your hand. Instead, they were large, human-sized spiders that could be very dangerous to unsuspecting persons. Thorin knew he had to be careful, so he made sure his black pony, Minty, and he stayed hidden in the foliage as much as possible.

But it was about halfway through his journey in Mirkwood that he heard a piercing scream resonate through the trees. Thorin snapped to alert immediately, unsheathing his mighty sword, Orcrist, from his belt, and set Minty off in the direction of the scream. He rode fast and hard until his gaze met a rather frightful scene. A boy was on the ground, backing slowly away from a huge spider, snapping it's pincers threateningly. The boy's green eyes were wide with fear, and his breath was heavy and ragged. Thorin had no choice but to do something to save him! So with a leap off his pony, he charged the spider and slashed Orcrist down it's back with a loud cry.

Bilbo had thought his life would have ended in that moment, at the mercy of a legendary Mirkwood spider. Staring up at the sharp pincers in front of him, he couldn't stop the thoughts that ran through his head. 'I had always wished to find love before I died,' he thought grievingly, with unshed tears welling in his eyes. 'Oh well. So much for that. I suppose this is it.' And Bilbo closed his eyes tightly, bracing himself for the pain that was to come. But suddenly, a loud cry was voiced, and the pain never came.

"Are you alright?" A deep, rumbling voice laced with concern spoke out against the silence, causing a shiver to run down Bilbo's spine.

Slowly, Bilbo opened his eyes and saw the most handsome dwarf he had ever laid eyes on standing before him, with a dead spider laying to the side. He had long black hair cascading down his back, and his beard was rather short but still thick on his chin. There were braids woven into his hair as well, and the beads that held them there matched his armor and deep, fathoming blue eyes. Bilbo's breath caught in his throat. He had never felt this uneasy around someone before, and he couldn't describe the feeling. The dwarf before him was just so… majestic.

Thorin stared at the creature before him. It turned out that this boy was not a boy at all, but a hobbit. A very small hobbit that had thick, honey-colored curls cascading around an angelic face and eyes a magical shade of green he had never seen before. In other words, he was the most beautiful hobbit he had ever seen, as well as the only one. But the hobbit did not seem to respond to him, instead deciding to stare up into his eyes. Thorin tried again. "Are you alright?" he asked again, leaning down on the ground next to the hobbit.

"I…" Bilbo spoke softly. "I t-think so." He couldn't even form a simple sentence around the dwarf! How embarrassing.

Thorin leaned in closer to him, causing Bilbo's cheeks to turn an unnatural shade of red. Thorin would have smiled at his adorable shyness, but a scar across Bilbo's face caught his eye. "Are you sure you are alright?" he questioned carefully, bringing a thumb to rest on the scar. "The spider did not give you this?"

Bilbo squeaked and jerked away from Thorin's hand, bringing his own to cover the scar from view. "N-no it did not!" he stuttered nervously, praying there would be no more prying questions. "This scar is old. T-there's no need t-to worry about it."

With a frown, Thorin stood back up again and reached out a large hand to Bilbo. "Here, let me help you." He offered.

Bilbo tentatively reached forward and took the offered hand and found himself yanked from the ground and into a pair of strong arms. His blush deepened considerably, but couldn't help but feel warm at the dwarf's touch.

Reluctantly, Thorin released Bilbo and picked up his basket for him. "T-thank you." Bilbo said, taking the basket and draping it on his arm.

"Since you have that with you," Thorin spoke, gesturing toward the basket. "I presume that you were heading to the well not far from here?"

"Y-yes." Bilbo nodded nervously.

Thorin sighed and shook his head. "You know it is dangerous to enter Mirkwood Forest alone, especially without a weapon." He scolded.

Bilbo pouted and folded his arms over his chest in defiance. "I could say the same for you, you know." He stated matter-of-factly. "You are all alone as well. And though you have a sword, that doesn't mean you are perfectly safe."

A low chuckle rumbled from Thorin's throat, causing another shiver through Bilbo. "As true as that may be, I am still safer than you." He stated.

Now Bilbo was getting irritated. 'This dwarf may be very handsome, and may have saved my life,' he thought, 'but that does not give him permission to be so rude'. And so Bilbo spoke his thoughts aloud to the strange dwarf (of course leaving out the handsome part) and added at the end, "now what is your name, so that I may communicate with you properly!"

A small smirk formed on Thorin's face. "Pardon me," he apologized. "I seem to have forgotten my manners as you have said. My name is Thorin," He gave a large bow. "King Under the Mountain."

All of Bilbo's previous thoughts flew straight out his ears. "K-King Thorin?" he stuttered out of shock and fear. He couldn't believe he acted so rudely towards the King of the Dwarves of Erebor. "M-My lord, I'm s-so terribly sorry! I meant nothing of what I said! I merely thought-" but a loud laugh interrupted his apology.

Thorin smiled down at him, causing Bilbo to blush once again. "Pray don't mention it," he said, and leaned forward to place himself at eye level with Bilbo. "But now," he murmured. "you must tell me your name, for I am very eager to know."

Bilbo's blush could, by then, rival a ripe tomato. But without hesitation, he breathed out, "B-Bilbo Baggins, my lord."

Thorin found that he had never smiled as much in his life as he had in that day. The hobbit was much too beautiful for words and he couldn't stop the warmth that spread through his chest at the sight of Bilbo's blushing cheeks. "Well Bilbo," he spoke the name, testing it on his tongue before he decided he liked it very much. "Why don't I escort you to the well, since it happens to be on my way? I might as well, seeing as there are more spiders about I'm sure. I do not want you to get hurt." He leaned away from Bilbo once again and heard the hobbit sigh. But from what, he wasn't sure.

"A-Alright, my lord. That sounds fair." Bilbo complied, fearing the thought of having another run-in with the Mirkwood spiders.

"Good." Thorin spoke, and then off he began, leading his pony in the direction of the well, leaving poor little Bilbo to trail a bit behind before finally catching up.

After about a thirty minute stroll of silence, Bilbo, Thorin and Minty finally reached the well. Bilbo sighed heavily in relief and quickly as he could, got a fresh bucket of water and smiled to himself, seeing his reflection in the clear, clean liquid.

"Well, I suppose you are heading back to your home now." Thorin's deep voice spoke up, making Bilbo jump in surprise. "Are you sure you will be quite safe wandering back?" he asked, worry lacing his dark blue eyes.

"I will go around the edge of the Forest." Bilbo assured. "It will take longer, but I am fairly sure that no spiders will attack me there. They do not like to leave the Forest, do they?"

"No, they do not." Thorin agreed, still sounding unsure, but tossed the feeling aside. "But I must be on my way now anyway, so I suppose it all works out for the best."

Bilbo nodded slowly. "Yes, I… suppose it does." He lowered his gaze down to his feet, until he felt a finger curl under his chin and lift his head up to be met with a steely gaze.

Once Bilbo was trapped in Thorin's eyes, Thorin moved his hand to Bilbo's own as he lowered himself down to one knee. "Well, until we meet again, dear Bilbo," he said as softly as possible, as he lifted Bilbo's hand to his lips and kissed it. "be safe." And before Bilbo could even think of a reply, Thorin was hopping back on his pony, and with a strong command, he urged it onward, deeper into the Forest, leaving Bilbo alone once again.

Bilbo lifted his hand to his cheek, feeling the heat of his blush under his fingertips, and smiled largely. He knew it sounded ridiculous, but as Bilbo stared off into the Forest depths where Thorin had charged away with strong force, he realized what the feeling of warmth inside of him was.

Love.

Meanwhile, Smaug was sitting atop his golden throne, staring at a man bowing before him with glaring eyes. The man before him was, in fact, a huntsman Smaug himself had summoned for a special task. His name was Bard, and he hailed from the city of Laketown. He was best known for his shot with a bow, but was highly skilled in many ways of combat; swords, axes, and spears. You name it, he could fight with it. And that was exactly the reason Smaug called for him specifically.

"Now, Huntsman," he began in a commanding voice. "I have summoned you here for a very special job; a job that must be carried out exactly. Or the consequences will be fatal." He paused for a moment, studying Bard's reaction to his speech so far. "Do you understand? Are you ready for my command?"

Bard stayed kneeling upon one knee, but raised his head with determination flashing in his dark eyes. He may not have been eager to answer to the evil king's beckon, but whatever job he was given, he took seriously. "Yes, my lord. Give me your task and I will see it done." He answered swiftly.

Smaug rose from his throne and sauntered over to the window, to look out upon the garden. Just as he had hoped, he had a perfect view of Bilbo Baggins, who was now, once again, washing the steps after his eventful trip to the well. "Come over here, huntsman." Smaug ordered. "And tell me what you see."

Bard stood with an inquisitive gaze, and marched to the window, looking out with searching eyes. Then, they rested on the form of the lovely hobbit dunking his brush into a full bucket of water with dreamy eyes and blushing cheeks. And even though the sight was quite endearing, Bard decided to hide the effect it had on him. "I see a hobbit, my lord." He stated simply.

"His name is Bilbo Baggins." Smaug informed, making his way back to his throne. "He has just come of age today, and as for that, he is now more beautiful than I," Smaug noticed Bard whip his head around to stare at the king with inquiring eyes. "and that does not settle with me. So your job," Smaug picked up a small box from a table beside his throne. "is to take him into the Forest, somewhere where he will be easily distracted, and kill him. And for proof of his murder, you are to carve out his heart and put it in this box and return it to me." He paused. "Is that clear?"

Bard swallowed, trying to hide the shock in his expression. He didn't know if he could kill a small and beautiful creature such as Bilbo that easily, much less carve out his heart. But he would be killed himself if he didn't. At last, after a long while of thought, he succumbed to the King. "Yes, my lord." He agreed, rather reluctantly. "It shall be done."

"Good." Smaug held out the box that Bard took against his will. "I will wait here as you see to it. Now be on your way." He commanded at last, placing himself swiftly back on his throne.

"Yes, my lord." Bard replied with a slightly quavering voice. "I shall return soon." And with those last words, he left the throne room with the cursed box in his shaking hands.

Bilbo was absolutely delighted. He was running and laughing through the Forest dressed in his best clothes; brown pants, a green silk vest over a clean white shirt, and a warm red coat that was a perfect fit. King Smaug had hired for him an escort to take him into the Forest for the remainder of the day as a present for his coming of age birthday.

The man with him, Bard the huntsman of Laketown, strayed behind as Bilbo ran deeper into the Forest to a patch of lovely tulips. They were all such a deep shade of blue that reminded him of King Thorin's striking eyes, and with a sigh, he gently plucked one from the ground and lovingly stroked the petals. 'One day, my lord,' he thought distractedly. 'One day we will find each other again. I will be waiting patiently for you'.

Behind him, Bard hesitantly unsheathed his small sword and carefully sneaked up behind Bilbo. Slowly he raised his sword in the air, preparing to strike down on the poor hobbit's back. 'If I am to do this,' Bard thought. 'I will make it as painless as possible for him. Quick and easy, just like that'. But even with these reassurances, his conscience was not settled and hesitated slightly.

Bilbo, finally looking up from his tulip, noticed that a large shadow was now casting over him. Slowly, he turned his head around to see Bard standing over him with a sword in hand ready to strike. Bilbo screamed and dropped the tulip bringing his arms to his face in some sort of useless defense, and closed his eyes, awaiting the blow from the blade. But then-

"Forgive me!" Bard cried out, dropping the sword to his feet and dropping to his knees before Bilbo. Bilbo carefully drew his arms from his face and looked pityingly down at Bard, who was obviously regretful of his actions. But before Bilbo could say anything to him, Bard began talking quickly. "Hurry, Master Baggins," he ushered, gathering himself from the ground and pushing Bilbo forward. "you must run away, as fast as you can! Quickly, before he finds out what I've done!"

"Before who finds out?" Bilbo inquired.

"King Smaug!" Bard exclaimed, causing Bilbo to gasp. "He's mad with jealousy! He wants you dead! You must run away now!" He quickly took the sword he dropped previously and handed to Bilbo, who took it with reluctant hands. "You'll need this to defend yourself against the spiders! Now go! Hurry!"

"But what about you?" Bilbo asked, concerned for the man who was sparing his life.

"I will be fine, I assure you!" he replied hastily. "I have a plan to ease the Kings jealousy. Don't you worry! Now please, go Master Bilbo, before I am forced to change my mind!"

With that being said, Bilbo turned tail and ran deep into the forest, sword in hand. His heart was pounding heavily, his breathing becoming more and more shallow with every step he took. He had never before noticed how cluttered together the forest was. He had to dodge and jump and duck his way past all the trees and thorn bushes that blocked his path.

The longer he ran, the darker the Forest became, and the more frightened Bilbo felt. He ran and ran until he finally could not take it anymore. He needed to stop and catch his breath. Once he found a small clearing amongst the dank mass of trees, he plopped himself down on the soft grass in relief. He sighed deeply and splayed out on the grass, laying the sword down beside him. He stayed there for a while, letting his thoughts stray in all different directions; From King Smaug, to his dangerous position, to Bard who had spared his life. And then he thought of Thorin. Would he ever see Thorin again, now that he had run away from the Shire? His heart broke at the mere thought of never seeing those stunning blue eyes again.

But that was the least of his worries.

Out of the trees came a loud snapping sound and Bilbo whipped his head around to inspect the noise. And there, stepping out of the shadows was a Mirkwood Spider closing in on him slowly. Bilbo shot up from the ground, grabbing the sword in his hand and holding it out in front of him in defense. "Stay back!" Bilbo shouted, swinging his sword around somewhat threateningly. "I will use this!"

The spider seemed unfazed by his threat and continued to inch more and more forward. And after a few more careful steps, it lunged quickly at Bilbo with a piercing hissing noise. Bilbo screamed and dodged out of the spider's way, slashing his sword out. Surprisingly, Bilbo actually caused it quite a bit of damage. The spider gave out a terrible screech of pain, but lunged at Bilbo again, receiving another wound to the side from the sword. Bilbo continued to swing blindly, striking the spider in many different places, before the spider finally fell in a heap on the ground, dead.

Bilbo panted heavily, leaning himself against a tree trunk nearby. He stared for a long while at his now blood-stained sword, before dropping it to the ground and crying. He had never been so scared in his life. His heartbeat was still beating a frantic rhythm. But after a moment, Bilbo told himself he had to keep moving. The dead spider's shrieks were sure to attract attention from other spiders, and Bilbo could not be there when they came to scope out the area. So he wiped his tears, picked up his sword once more, and continued onward.

Seconds turned to minutes. Minutes turned to hours. And finally Bilbo found himself out of Mirkwood Forest. "Thank goodness!" Bilbo exclaimed in relief. "It feels so good to finally be out of that cursed Forest." Stretching out his arms to his side, Bilbo took in his new surroundings with a vast curiosity. Before him was what seemed to be a hole in the ground. But not something like a rabbit hole. Instead it was a rather cozy looking house that was built underneath a small hill. There was a round, green door serving as the main entrance into the house, and Bilbo found it very intriguing.

He carefully approached the house and knocked lightly on the freshly painted door. "Hello?" he called. "Is anyone there?" When no response came, Bilbo huffed lightly and knocked again, this time a little louder. "Hello?" he called again. "Please, answer! I need help!" But no answer came. So, instead of knocking for a third time, Bilbo reached out and turned the doorknob, surprised to find that the door was open. As silently as possible, he pushed the door open and looked inside the house.

It was a mess. There was mud and dust covering the floor and furniture in the dark living room, and the kitchen was even more a sight for sore eyes. There were dirty dishes piled up almost to the ceiling, and the open cabinets were filled with cobwebs. "Dear lord!" Bilbo exclaimed, taking in the sight of the dark house. "Whoever lives here must not care much for hygiene! This place is horrible!" And Bilbo settled his mind right then and there. The mess was too much. It was so bothersome to him, that he couldn't handle it anymore. He needed to clean it. Besides, what bad could possibly come from it? So with a smile, he went into the house and got to work.

A few hours later, Bilbo rested the mop he found against the wall and looked about the room with a huff of pride. The place had definitely transformed from what it was before. The place was spotless after Bilbo was finished. The cobwebs had been cleaned from every nook and cranny, the dishes were washed, dried and neatly stacked in the appropriate cabinets, and the mud tracked all over the ground was washed away, as well as the dirt and dust. Bilbo had not rested until he could see the place sparkle.

Then, his triumphant smile turned into a large yawn. He was awfully tired after such a long, eventful birthday. And it was only barely becoming noon! Bilbo yawned once more and with a stretch of his back and arms, he went up the stairs on the side of the room and entered the door at the top floor, to find twelve beds lined up against the walls, each one labeled with a name. But Bilbo was much too tired to read them all. Instead, he waded over to the nearest bed and dropped down on it, finding himself to be the perfect size for it. With a smile, he unconsciously pulled the bedsheets up to his chin and fell asleep in an instant.

**Author's Note: **Hope you enjoyed! Remember **ONE CHAPTER A DAY!**

Please leave reviews! I feel like I've eaten a cookie every time I read them! They make me so happy! :D


	2. Part 2

**Author's Note: **So apparently, my line-breakers didn't work in the last chapter! Sorry about that! I thought they did, but I guess not! :( It doesn't seem like it bothered too many people though! Anyway, the problem is fixed!

Here's today's chapter! :D

* * *

Not too far away from the house where Bilbo slept, there was a large cave. This cave was currently being mined clean by a large group of Dwarves who hailed from the kingdom of Erebor. For a few months, and many more to come, the twelve of them had stayed in the woods, near the cave, so they could properly work on it until it truly was mined empty. King Thorin assured that he would aid them in the job by having a small house built for them in the area, and the Dwarves, albeit reluctantly, agreed to the job. So there they were, months later, still grudgingly swinging their pickaxes down upon the hard walls of the cave, in a frivolous search for gems and gold.

"Hey Fili," asked one dwarf to the one next to him. "Have you found anything good yet?"

"Not really, Kili." The other replied. "Have you?"

Kili laughed out loud, the sound echoing down the depths of the cave. "No way!" he exclaimed. "I've been mining at the same spot for hours, hoping Dwalin will only _think_ I'm working!" the two laughed and went back to their 'mining' not long after.

"Agh!" one dwarf with blondish hair shouted, gaining everyone's attention. "My axe broke!" He looked positively terrified at the prospect.

"Well that's because you're trying too hard, Ori." Another, white-haired dwarf explained kindly, not hiding his laugh. "Don't worry. We'll forge a new one for you later!" he added with a smile at Ori's saddened face.

But Ori soon lightened up with a beaming smile. "Thank you, Balin! I would like that very much!" he exclaimed happily.

Suddenly, a large dwarf entered the tunnel, banging loudly on a heavy bell. "We are done for the day!" he called out, making the dwarves all sigh in relief. In that moment, much to the large dwarf's disapproval, eleven axes were dropped to the ground simultaneously. "You shouldn't just throw those axes around! They are the key to getting the good gems of the cave!" he lectured.

"Oh, Dwalin, come off it!" Kili laughed, stretching his back out and walking toward the entrance with Fili. "You're much too worked up about everything."

"Yeah, Dwalin, have some fun once in a while!" Fili agreed with a smile. "It wouldn't kill you!"

With a pat on the shoulder each, Kili and Fili were the first to exit the tunnels, soon followed by all the other dwarves in turn: Balin, Ori, Nori, Dori, Gloin, Oin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, and lastly, a grumbling Dwalin. All marched out of the cave happily, seeing as they had been at work almost all day and couldn't wait to get back to the house for some relaxation. The march was pleasant, the dwarves going in a neat line through the woods, making sure to keep watch for any spiders (in Dwalin's case). And finally, the twelve dwarves found their house in the clearing and with many yells of happiness, they all eagerly attempted to enter the door at the same time, resulting in them toppling to the ground in a heap with much laughter.

But the laughter soon died away as the dwarves opened their eyes to the house. It was _clean_. No, that was an understatement. It was _spotless_. It was… almost scary.

"Look at the place!" Bofur exclaimed, climbing out of the pile and adjusting his hat. "It's… it's…"

"Strange." Gloin finished the statement, also examining the place closer. "It didn't look like this when we left, did it?" he asked. All the dwarves shook their heads.

Kili swiped a finger on the mantelpiece of the fireplace and inspected it. "The fireplace has been… dusted!" he said, voice laced with confusion.

"As well as the shelves and counters!" Fili called out from across the room. "Everything has been thoroughly swept and mopped!" And to emphasize the statement, Bifur promptly slipped and fell on a still wet part of the floor, much to the others' amusement.

"And the cobwebs are gone as well!" Nori added, searching the kitchen cabinets, that were now filled with plates. "And the dishes have been cleaned!" He added as an afterthought, only just focusing on the fact that the cabinets were occupied.

Balin walked around the room with a slightly faltering smile. "Though I think it is rather nice to see the place so sharp," he spoke, causing all the dwarves to gather around him to listen. "I am still confused as to how it came to be this way."

Dwalin grunted as he approached the group with a scowl. "Is it not obvious?!" he inquired rhetorically. "Someone has broken in and cleaned the place up! And they could very well still be here!"

The dwarves gasped, and quickly the atmosphere around them changed. They all carefully examined their surroundings with narrowed eyes and pulled their weapons out of their belts. Any sudden sound would cause them to jump and aim their attack, only to find that it was nothing worrisome, and continue on their search for the intruder. Kili once accidentally shot an arrow towards Dori, barely missing his head, and instead hitting the wall behind him. With an embarrassed apology, Kili notched another arrow on his bow and moved on, ignoring the dissatisfied huff of annoyance from Dori.

"I don't see anything, Dwalin!" Oin exclaimed after a long while. The other dwarves all nodded in agreement. "We've been searching for hours! Maybe they really did leave?"

"Maybe…" Dwalin muttered, though still not convinced.

It was then that Ori decided to speak up once more. "Umm, fellows?" he called out shyly. Being the center of attention was never something he liked to be. Everyone looked at him in anticipation. "Maybe they went upstairs?" he suggested quietly.

"That's it!" Dwalin exclaimed, ignoring the shushing he got from Balin. "They must have gone upstairs! That's why we haven't found them yet!" he was getting very excited from all the commotion.

Fili then stepped up. "Well," he began. "Does anyone want to volunteer to check?"

Silence fell upon the dwarves as each one looked around nonchalantly, hoping not to be the one picked to go upstairs. It seemed a tedious task, and no one seemed up to it at the time being. Finally, Dwalin growled and said, "Fine! I will choose who goes!" He searched the small crowd of dwarves before deciding, "Bofur! You will go inspect the bedroom! And no complaining!" He hastily added when Bofur opened his mouth to retaliate. And as quietly as possible, the dwarves lit a candle for Bofur and sent him up the stairway.

Bofur climbed the stairs as slowly as possible, trying to make no noise as to alert the intruder of his approach. With each step he took, he found the room grow more and more quiet, and he found himself getting nervous. When he reached the door, he carefully pushed it open and peeked inside, holding the candle out a bit in front of him to add a bit of light to the room. When he saw nothing suspicious, he gave a silent sigh of relief and opened the door more. He stepped into the room and held out the candle further, lighting the entire room. And that was when a shift of movement caught his eye.

He shined the candle's light in the direction of the movement to see what he identified as Fili's bed being occupied by something. Or some_one_. Bofur carefully approached the form on the bed and leaned down to get a closer look. It was covered by a sheet, and around the middle, it was gently rising and falling as if something were breathing underneath. With a stroke of courage, Bofur held his breath and pulled back the sheet inch by inch until a face was graciously revealed. It was the face of beauty. Honeyed curls, long dark eyelashes resting softly against pale, smooth cheeks, rosy lips slightly parted. Bofur gasped at the sight of him. He didn't seem to be a threat. He sure didn't look it. In fact, he looked more like an angel, sleeping so peacefully like that.

Quickly, Bofur exited the room, with slightly flustered cheeks, and spotted all the other dwarves at the foot of the stairs, no doubt awaiting Bofur's return. "You must come and see it, guys!" he whispered excitedly. "There's someone asleep up here!"

The dwarves all shuffled up the steps, careful to make less noise than usual and entered the small bedroom, to see the someone Bofur told them about. And lo and behold, there he was in Fili's bed, deeply asleep and dreaming peacefully. All the dwarves stared at him, some shocked by the sight, and some entranced by it.

"He's a right beauty, he is!" whispered Fili from the huddle, earning many nods of agreement from the others. "But… what is he?"

This stumbled many of the dwarves indeed.

"Well, he can't be a dwarf!" Dori informed. "For if he was, he would have a beard!"

"Perhaps he's an elf?" Bombur threw in. The dwarves, however, cringed. For they had a rather large disliking for elves. A long history between the two races forged a century long feud that the dwarves took very seriously. Especially King Thorin.

Balin shook his head, much to everyone's relief. "He can't be an elf, lads." He pointed out. "If he was an elf, he wouldn't be able to fit in the bed, now would he?" the dwarves shook their own heads in response. "There is only one creature I know that is smaller than a dwarf." Carefully, he pulled the sheets back all the way, fully uncovering the stranger. And as Balin had expected, the creature's feet were covered with hair. "See? He must be a hobbit."

The dwarves all marveled at the sight. None of them had ever before seen a hobbit. They had heard descriptions, but they didn't expect that one could be so lovely.

Dwalin huffed from the door, where he was leaning against the wall with disinterest. "Whatever race he is, he can't stay here!" he said grumpily, not bothering to quiet his voice. "Wake him up, and tell him to leave!"

"Oh come now, brother." Balin exclaimed, turning to Dwalin with an exasperated look. "I'm sure he has a good reason as to why he came here! Let him explain himself, and then we'll decide whether or not he stays. Besides," he added for good measure. "he could need our help."

"Umm, guys." Ori spoke up again, interrupting the short dispute. "I think he's waking up on his own!"

Nervously, everyone watched as the hobbit shifted and moaned gently as he stirred awake. Without thinking, the dwarves leaned in ever closer to watch him as two bright green eyes blearily opened before them.

* * *

Bilbo's eyes fluttered open, waking from his lovely dream. He yawned and sat up slowly, as he opened his eyes properly. And the sight he was met with shocked him terribly. Standing around his bed were a bunch of dwarves that were staring at him with interest. Unconsciously, Bilbo squeaked in surprise and covered himself quickly with the blanket, even though he was still fully clothed. The dwarves in turn snapped hastily out of their trance and backed away from the bed, so as to not intimidate him further, though they continued to stare at him.

It took Bilbo a moment to choose the right words to say. "Umm…" he paused. "I'm… sorry. But… who might you all be?" he finally asked, slowly dropping the blanket back down to his waist. There was a moment of silence as all the dwarves silently argued with each other about what to say. "Well, go on then!" Bilbo urged them on, growing eager.

Fili and Kili suddenly stepped up and stood themselves next to each other before Bilbo. Fili introduced himself first. "Fili-"

"and Kili-"

"At your service!" They finished together with a sweeping bow and large smiles on their faces.

Bilbo laughed at the formalities, and bent his head in a bow of his own. "It is a pleasure to meet you." He conceded, much to the delight of the two brothers. "Now who wants to go next?" Bilbo asked, searching the group.

Then, Gloin and Oin took a step forward and gave a bow of their own. "Gloin-"

"and Oin-"

"At your service!"

"Such the delight to know!" Bilbo bowed his head to them in the same way he had down before. "And then, who else do we have?"

Nori, Dori and Ori introduced themselves next, followed by Bombur, Bofur and Bifur. "Oh my goodness!" Bilbo exclaimed when he saw the axe-head coming out of Bifur's skull. "Whatever happened to your poor head?"

"Oh, he had a, uh… mining accident." Bofur explained, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I'm afraid it caused a bit of permanent damage. He can't speak English no more."

"Oh, how awful!" Bilbo's hand went up to cover his mouth in shock. "I am so terribly sorry for prying."

"Oh, think nothing of it!" Bofur smiled brightly, waving his hand. "You might as well know, since you're here and all!" he explained.

Bilbo smiled kindly back at Bofur, causing a blush to form on the dwarf's cheeks, and the others poked fun at him. But Bilbo had turned his attention to the white-haired dwarf whom he hadn't heard speak yet. "And who might you be?" he asked, over the other dwarves' noise.

"Balin," the old dwarf stated simply. "at your service." And he bowed just as the others had. "And over there," he jerked a thumb toward the door. "is my brother Dwalin. He's rather sour about your being here."

"That's right!" Dwalin finally spoke, making everyone quiet down, though Fili and Kili were still chuckling, much to Bofur's embarrassment. "And why are you asking us who we are?" he moved from the wall to stand next to his brother. "You're the intruder here! Why don't you tell us who you are!"

Bilbo gasped. He can't believe he had forgotten his manners. "Forgive me!" he exclaimed, raising a hand to his chest. "My name is Bilbo Baggins, and I live in The Shire." Then his face dropped. "At least… I used to. Up until I had to leave." He admitted sadly.

"Well, why'd you have to leave?" Kili asked curiously.

"Well, for some reason, King Smaug tried to have me killed!" Bilbo explained as though he himself still didn't believe it.

"Killed?!" Ori exclaimed from the back of the group. "But why?"

Bilbo fiddled with the blanket. "Well, that is the thing." He said. "I don't really know. The man that was hired to kill me spared my life and told me that the King was mad with jealousy." He continued. "But I don't know what he could possibly have been jealous of. I have nothing to my name. I was only a servant to him."

"Perhaps he was jealous of your beauty!" Bofur exclaimed, and slapped a hand up to his lips, shocked and embarrassed that the words had left his mouth.

Bilbo smiled and laughed once more, his cheeks turning a very light shade of pink. "That is very sweet of you to say, Bofur." Bofur blushed more. "But I suppose I will never know why he really wants me gone."

"Well, whatever the reason," Dwalin cut in. "if he finds you here, then he'll kill us all for sure! You can't stay here!"

Groans and statements of displeasure sounded throughout the room instantly. The dwarves were all arguing against Dwalin now, exclaiming that Bilbo should stay and that Bilbo needed to stay and that they wanted Bilbo to stay. But instead of responding, Dwalin just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, ignoring all the noise around him.

Bilbo found himself quickly getting a headache from all the shouting, and unconsciously opened his mouth and yelled over the noise. "Stop!" he shouted. The noise died immediately. All the dwarves, including Dwalin, were now looking at him, some with awe and others with curiosity. Bilbo then took a deep breath and turned to Dwalin specifically. "I understand why you wouldn't want me to stay," he began gently. "But if I leave here, then I don't know where I will end up. I don't mean to intrude! If I were to stay here, I could take care of the house while you are away!" he explained, glad to see that Dwalin looked to be thinking it over.

"Oh!" Bombur exclaimed suddenly, pushing himself into view from the back of the group. "Can you cook?" he asked excitedly.

Bilbo laughed happily and nodded. "Of course I can!" he replied. "I could cook or bake anything you'd want me to!"

"Apple Tart?" Bofur exclaimed, looking suddenly very excited.

"Strawberry Muffins?" Kili and Fili asked together.

"Boysenberry Pie?" Ori asked last in a quiet voice.

Bilbo laughed once more. "As I said, I cook or bake anything you'd like." He repeated patiently. "And I can clean too!" he added.

"So that _was_ you who cleaned the main room!" Balin spoke up.

Bilbo suddenly became a bit shy, even after being so open with the dwarves. "Yes, I am afraid that was me." He admitted slowly. "I was hoping I would wake from my nap before you'd returned, but obviously I didn't." he let out a nervous chuckle. "Sorry. I must have given you quite the fright." He apologized, rubbing at the back of his reddening neck.

"You sure di- Ow!" Dwalin exclaimed, after being harshly elbowed in the side by his brother.

"It is nothing we cannot forgive, Master Baggins." Balin spoke with a smile.

"Oh, please!" Bilbo said. "Call me Bilbo! Otherwise I will feel rather unwelcome!"

"So he gets to stay?" Bofur asked a little too eagerly.

Everyone looked to Dwalin, who seemed to be thinking the whole situation over already. He stood there with one hand resting on a hip, and the other stroking his beard in concentration. He wouldn't mind having a decent meal every once and a while, and he had to admit, the mess was getting the worst of him before. Perhaps Bilbo could be of help? But then again, he could be a nuisance as well. He could get in the way of the dwarves' productivity. Bofur already seemed quite smitten with the hobbit, and he couldn't let anyone else's thoughts drift away from the task of their mining. Mid-thought, he raised his eyes to the Bilbo and his shoulders sagged in defeat. Bilbo was watching him with bright, wide eyes and a small pout on his lips. Even Dwalin had to admit it was rather adorable.

How could he say no to that face?

"Fine!" he exclaimed. "He can stay."

This was met with many happy cheers and exclamations. Bilbo looked thoroughly pleased, smiling brightly and laughed with all the others. Bofur was at the back of the cheering crowd and staring at Bilbo's lit up face with a dreamy smile and foggy, brown eyes. Dwalin rolled his own eyes heavenward at the pathetic look on his face. He was acting like a lovesick puppy, and the dwarf had only seen him an hour ago. "Alright, alright, quiet down!" Dwalin shouted, and the cheers died away. "Now, it's getting late." He started, and turned to Bilbo. "Master Baggins-"

"Bilbo!" Bilbo corrected.

Dwalin ignored him. "would you mind putting your cooking skills to use starting now?" he questioned, only _slightly_ hopeful.

Bilbo smiled and jumped from up from the bed with vigor, finally revealing his height to the dwarves. To their astonishment, they were all either the same height as him, or they were just a bit taller. "I would be happy to!" Bilbo said with a bow, and once for about the third time that day, everyone cheered loudly. Bilbo only shook his curly head with a smile and went downstairs followed by thirteen dwarves.

* * *

"Dinner is almost ready!" Bilbo called out loudly from the kitchen.

All at once, the dwarves ran into the kitchen excitedly and gasped audibly at the display before them. On the plain, wooden dining table, there were thirteen plates, cups and bowls lined up around three candles that surprisingly lit up the room considerably. The scent filling the room made their mouths water in delight. It smelled of fresh, baked bread and mushroom stew boiling over a hot fire in a metal cauldron pot. Which was exactly what Bilbo happened to be standing over the moment they ran in.

At the noise of their arrival, Bilbo turned quickly in surprise, obviously underestimating how excited the dwarves were to eat. But the shock easily faded away to a smile and he placed the lid over the pot as the stew cooked. A sudden cough from the doorway caught his attention and he turned to find Bombur shifting his large weight between two stumpy legs. "Umm… Master Bilbo?" he asked, obviously a bit nervous.

"Yes, Bombur?" Bilbo replied, wiping his hands off with a rag.

"Umm… where's the food?" he asked at last.

Bilbo sighed heavily, but it ended with a small laugh. "It's not ready yet!" he clarified, much to their discontent. "I said dinner was _almost_ ready." he said, pouring water into a tea kettle and setting it hanging over the fire with the stew.

"Well why'd you call us in, then?" Fili asked as he and his brother placed their hands on their hips.

"I called you in," Bilbo began to explain as he chopped up more mushrooms. "so I could tell you that you have just enough time to wash before you eat." He threw the mushrooms into the stew.

The dwarves all groaned loudly at the prospect of having to clean themselves. It was such a tedious task to them, and seemed almost pointless. They never really bothered getting clean before eating. They only bathed whenever they were so dirty they could smell themselves as well as each other. Though they would admit it was a bit unsanitary, they didn't really care anyway.

Bilbo crossed his arms over his chest and stared at them all. "Now you guys," he began to lecture. "You must wash your hands before you eat! You've been working in a mine all day! Your hands are probably filthy!" As if feeling embarrassed, the dwarves self-consciously hid their hands behind their backs, in case Bilbo did a check. "You can't handle food with unclean hands! That is highly unhealthy! You will all get sick before the week is done!" Thankfully, Bilbo didn't know that had already happened a few months ago. Ori had gotten sick, then Bifur, then Oin, then Kili, and so on and so on until every one of the dwarves had gotten sick at least once. "Now you march downstairs, fill that basin with water and clean your hands this instant. Or I'm afraid all this food will go to waste."

Grudgingly, the dwarves trudged out of the kitchen, dragging their feet downstairs. All except for Bofur. He strayed behind and was looking at Bilbo, who was turned away from him and chopping more vegetables, with regretful eyes. "Sorry to disappoint you, Master Baggins." He said a bit shyly.

Bilbo once more turned around in surprise, but seeing the apology in Bofur's eyes, his lips curved upward into an apologetic smile. "It is fine, Bofur." He said gently. "I'm just concerned for everyone's health. I don't want any of you getting sick! Do you understand?" Bofur nodded slowly. "Good. Now be on your way! It'll only be a short while before everything is ready to eat, and I would hate to not give you any."

Bofur then gave a small, fake smile, nodded once again, and backed out of the room with hunched shoulders and a frown on his face. He wasn't as upset about having to wash, as he was about making Bilbo angry, and making him worry about them. The disappointment in his eyes had made Bofur's heart drop down to his feet.

"Alright, men!" Balin announced as he poured a large bucket of water into an even larger metal basin that they usually used for the occasional bath. "Gather 'round! You all want to eat, don't you?" his question was met with many eager nods and cheers. "Then pass around the soap and wash up your hands so you can get it done as quickly as possible!"

It was slightly awkward; thirteen dwarves all huddled around a basin of water attempting to get clean all at the same time. Bofur was making sure to use as much soap as possible, and scrubbed his hands thoroughly under the water, wanting to make them as clean as possible so Bilbo would be happy with him. He smiled dreamily at the thought of Bilbo's happy face shining at him. Ori was going very slowly, making it seem more like he was wiping the soap off than cleaning it. Bifur was holding the bar of soap in front of his squinting eyes, as if he was trying to figure out its function. Kili and Fili were doing fine, up until Kili accidently splashed the water. All over Fili's face.

"Oi!" Fili shouted, using his sleeves to wipe the soapy water from his eyes. "Watch where you're splashing that water! You almost burned my eyes out!" And in retaliation, he splashed even more water in Kili's face, and all over his clothes.

Kili glared at his brother, while using the one dry spot on his clothes to dry his face off. "Alright. You want to play it that way?" He asked threateningly, and dipped a hand in the water. "We'll play it that way."

And before anyone could stop it, the two brothers were up to their antics again. Water was flying all over the place, soaking not only Fili and Kili, but everyone else as well. This resulted in many jeers toward the brothers, and then they all joined the water fight as well, without realizing it. Bofur, once finished, carefully maneuvered himself out of the situation, without getting too wet, and snuck back upstairs with a smile on his face. Balin sighed as he watched the fray from afar, and Dwalin, who stood next to him, just rolled his eyes in frustration.

"Enough!" Dwalin finally shouted, making everyone freeze.

"You should all stop now, before you make more of a mess." Balin threw in. "Because whatever mess you do make, Master Baggins will most likely be the one to clean it up. And you don't want him to do all that work, do you?"

The dwarves all slowly looked to the ground in shame, and got to collecting towels to clean up the mess themselves. Kili, still wanting revenge, pushed Fili slightly. Fili glared and shoved Kili a bit harder than Kili had pushed him. This resulted in a little shoving fight, until it finally came to Fili shoving Kili fully into the basin of water, soaking him completely. But before he could pull the laughing Fili into the basin with him, the basement door opened and Bofur poked his head in. "Dinner is ready!" he called quickly and then immediately pulled his head out of the door and ran back to the kitchen.

"HOORAY!" The dwarves all shouted together, dropping their towels and running up the basement stairs to the kitchen. They even forgot to question why Bofur hadn't been in the basement with them in the first place. Instead, the thought of food rippled through their heads, and every other thought flew out their ears as they sprinted to the delightful smell. All except for Kili, who was then trying get himself out of the basin without slipping, much to his brother's amusement.

**Author's Note: **Please review! I love them so! :D


	3. Part 3

**Author's Note: **This is my favorite part of the story! I'm actually really proud of it, so I hope you guys enjoy! :D

* * *

"Mirror, mirror on the wall," Smaug began, smirking at the glinting mirror with pride. "Who _now_ is the fairest of all?" Since Bilbo was now dead, obviously Smaug would be the fairest again, but the mirror had to declare it itself. Smaug wanted to be positively sure that no one was better looking than he.

The face appeared in the mirror once again, and its raspy voice wafted through the air. "Still Bilbo it be, instead of you." It said. "For he is fair, more fair than you."

Smaug glared at the mirror face and grabbed a box from the small table beside his throne. "Bilbo Baggins is dead!" he exclaimed quite confidently, though he clutched the box tightly, with shaking hands. "He was killed in Mirkwood Forest, and lies there still. I have proof!" he held the box in front of him and opened it, revealing a fleshy clump of torn up muscles and veins. "I have been given his heart, by the one who killed him."

"You have been tricked, majesty." The mirror rasped. "For Bilbo is still alive, you see. Bard of Laketown sent him away, and took a spiders heart to keep your jealousy at bay."

"A spiders heart!?" Smaug reeled back, dropping the box without thinking. It hit the floor and the bloody spider heart plopped out and sat on the floor. "That damn huntsman!" he cursed. "Tell me, mirror! Where does Baggins reside now! Speak at once!" his foot found the heart when he meant to stomp it on the floor.

The mirror hesitated a bit, as if he was about to regret his actions. "On the Northern edge of the Forest of Mirkwood, a home of dwarves is where he is stood. He knows of your attempt to end his life, so you must be discrete in ending your strife."

Smaug lifted the corners of lips slowly, in a twisted, evil smile. "So he goes to dwarves for shelter, hmm?" he murmured to himself, finally turning from the mirror, believing to have all the information he'd need. "Then I shall find and take care of him myself." And with a bone-chilling laugh and a whip of his cape, he spun around and ran out of the throne room, down some hallways, and lastly down a flight of winding stairs that seemed to go down forever.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Smaug finally found himself in his potion room. It was a dark and murky room, with stone walls that seemed to have what looked like moss growing out of them. It felt humid and water was occasionally dripping from the ceiling, and the wood the shelves were made out of looked rotten and aged by the dank air. Each shelf was lined with bottles upon bottles of unknown colorful liquids that were a bit smoky at the lid. A cauldron was placed over a fire pit in the corner next to a flat work surface that had a giant tome rested on it. Smaug directly made his way toward it.

"Let us see…" he spoke to himself quietly, opening the book and frantically flipping through the pages. "I must disguise myself so as to not be recognized by that little brat." After flipping far into the book, almost to the middle of it, he shouted in triumph at finding the correct potion recipe. An aging potion.

He shuffled around the room, gathering all the ingredients he needed and placed them out on the work station. First, he lit the fire pit and poured an entire jar of grey liquid into the cauldron. He stirred for a while before throwing in some white hairs and some sort of purple liquid, along with a few lumps that came out of a jar. After, he placed the lid of the cauldron on and steam began seeping out of the pot. Soon it started to shake and clatter. Smaug quickly grabbed a cup and scooped some of the potion into it. And without hesitation, he drank.

Pain. Unbearable pain erupted through his veins. He screamed and the cup fell to the ground, making a dull clang as stone met solid gold. His screams echoed in the underground room, making it even louder than it really was. He felt his body morph slowly. His nose grew longer, wrinkles formed under his eyes and his forehead and various other places. His legs suddenly felt feeble, and he grabbed at a shelf to keep himself stable. He reached up and touched his hair. It wasn't changing much. Only the color was changing.

And then, the pain was gone.

Smaug stood for a moment. He felt very different. He felt somewhat… weaker. His bones were creaky, as he pulled his arms away from the shelf and held himself up by his legs once more. He stood a little wobbly, but was still standing. It must have worked. The aging potion must have made him more older than he was! Quickly, in spite of his now older bones, he ran out of the potion room, and back again to the throne room. "It worked!" he shouted as looked at himself in his magic mirror. He saw that his nose was abnormally large with a wart growing on the end of it, and his hair had turned white instead of black. His skin was paler, making him appear sick. "He will never know who I really am! And now… how shall I rid myself of him." He thought for a moment, pacing in front of his mirror. Until an evil idea was formed in the darkness of his mind.

* * *

Once the dwarves had finished eating, and Bilbo had finished teaching them a thing or two about table manners, the dwarves insisted on playing some music. Except for Dwalin, who had eaten and immediately gone back downstairs for whatever reason. They dragged Bilbo into the main sitting room and a few of them pulled out instruments and began playing. The music was happy and lively, something that was very easy to dance to. The notes were accentuated every step taken as they danced.

After a while of the music, however, Bilbo needed a break to catch his breath and sat down on the bench to watch the others with a gleeful smile. He was just content sitting there, watching the others dance joyously and listening to the music. But in the middle of the song, Bofur had shyly came up to him and held out his hand, in a silent offer for a dance. Bilbo laughed and, unable to deny, he took Bofur's hand and they danced together, until Fili and Kili (who was still a little wet) had stolen him away for themselves, ignoring Bofur's small scowl.

As it all went on, Dwalin had come upstairs to see what the fuss was about, and when he saw the commotion, he just rolled his eyes sat in the corner, waiting for it to all be over.

Soon enough, the dwarves had grown tired and the music stopped. Bilbo, as well as the others, applauded the musicians, Dori, Oin, Bifur, and Ori. They put their instruments away, and gathered around the fireplace, where Bilbo had moved to so he could warm his hands. They sat for a moment.

"Master Baggins?" Kili piped up from the floor where he was sitting cross-legged next to his brother. "Will you tell us a story?"

The others nodded eagerly in agreement with Kili's request, and Bilbo laughed at the silliness of it. "You want to hear a story?" he asked incredulously. "But you are full grown dwarves! Are bedtime stories not only for children?" he mocked.

Some of the dwarves flushed with embarrassment, but Fili was the one to speak for them. "We may be fully grown, but all dwarves love a good story!" Once again, the others nodded. "And don't worry! We'll be all ears!" he assured.

Bilbo's angelic laugh resigned around the room as he nodded. "Alright." He consented, making everyone smile. "What kind of story do you want?"

The others seemed to think for a while. They had pained expressions for a moment, making Bilbo hide his giggle. Finally, Ori called out, "Tell us how you came to be here!"

"Yeah!" Oin called out as well. "From beginning to end! Your whole day!"

"If that is really what you want." Bilbo consented, making the rest of them nod. "Well it all began this morning when I was outside the palace, washing down the stone path in the garden. All was going fine and normally, until a heard a blood-curdling scream of anger come from the King's throne room. And boy, did he sound angry." The others were listening intently, never taking their eyes off Bilbo. To his surprise, they did seem very interested in his tale. "Well, it had only distracted me for a moment. I had thought nothing of it. Looking back on it now, I suppose it had to do with him wanting me dead." He thought for a moment, but then brought himself back to reality, remembering that everyone wanted to hear his story. "I was going to go back to work but I had run out of water, so I had to go into Mirkwood forest to the well to go and get more."

"Mirkwood Forest?!" Nori gasped, along with the others. "But it's dangerous in there! Haven't you heard of the spiders?!" he warned.

"Yes, indeed I have, and if you would let me continue, I would get into that further!" he scolded, making Nori hang his head in shame. "Now as I was saying, I went into the forest to get more water for cleaning. But as I was going through the forest, I caught the attention of a giant spider that had jumped right in front of me." Ori clapped a hand over his mouth in shock. "It scared me so badly, I screamed and fell to the ground and the only thing I could do was back away from it, for I had nothing to defend myself with." Bofur started to looked terribly worried and scared. "I thought my life would end there, never getting a chance to see the world or experience many things, but then… _he_ came…" he his voice drifted off, remembering Thorin's deep blue gaze once more and found himself staring dreamily into space.

Fili and Kili smiled knowingly at each other. "Who's _he_?" Fili asked with a taunting tone in his voice.

"The dwarf that saved my life." Bilbo answered breathlessly. He found he had not thought about Thorin in a while, for some reason. He supposed he had been distracted by taking care of the dwarves for longer then he'd have thought. "He came up from behind and killed the spider with mighty cry! He was the first, and only thing I saw when I opened my eyes. And when his gaze met mine, I never wanted to close them again!" he sighed.

Dwalin rolled his eyes and scoffed from his corner.

"What did he do then?" Gloin asked, breaking Bilbo from his second reverie.

"Well, he spoke to me, and told me it was dangerous to be in the forest all alone, even though he was as well. But then, he offered to escort me to the well, and I so wanted company, and I didn't want to have to leave him just then, so I agreed and we left. But when we reached the well he said his goodbyes and…" he paused.

"And what?" Bombur called, hating the suspense.

"He kissed me." Bilbo closed his eyes, picturing the scene with his mind once more, with a happy smile on his face. "And I knew then, that I was in love."

The dwarves smiled at this, happy that the hobbit they had grown to like that day had found love, even in such hard times. Dwalin was promptly ignoring the story by this point, finding the part they were at to be boring. Balin had been oddly quiet and unresponsive the whole time, staring at the ground with a thoughtful look on his face.

Bofur was also staring the ground, but for a different reason. Bilbo was in love. Of course. Just his luck. He had fallen for a hobbit, who had already fallen in love with another dwarf earlier that same day. He and Bilbo had found each other too late. He tried to be angry, but he couldn't. He was never good at being angry. And he could never imagine being angry at Bilbo. But he couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if Bilbo hadn't run into that dwarf in the woods that morning. Could Bilbo have fallen in love with him?

"Master Baggins?" Balin finally spoke up, looking up from the ground.

"Please, you must call me Bilbo!" Bilbo scolded sternly. "It would make me feel much more comfortable here. Am I not calling you all by name?"

Balin chuckled, despite himself. "Alright, Master Bilbo." Bilbo rolled his eyes, but deemed it close enough. "The dwarf you met with in the forest," he began. "Did he tell you his name?" Dwalin stood from his corner and walked over, curious as to what his brother was playing at.

"Why yes." Bilbo confirmed, head tilted in confusion as to why that seemed relevant. "He said his name was Thorin. Why do you ask?"

The dwarves gaped and gasped in shock all at once. All except for Fili and Kili, who looked extremely excited. "_King_ Thorin? The King under the Mountain?" Dwalin asked in clarification. Even he had to admit his shock at the sudden coincidence.

"Yes." Bilbo nodded slowly, still confused. "Why? Do you know him somehow?"

"Know him?" Kili said excitedly, with a beaming smile. "He's our uncle!" he pointed quickly back and forth between Fili and himself.

Bilbo was as shocked as the other dwarves. "Really?!" He asked in amazement.

"Yeah!" Fili and Kili shouted at once and ran over to sit directly in front of Bilbo and place their heads on each of his knees. "Can we call you auntie then?!" Their large smiles made it seem like a genuine request.

Bilbo once again found himself laughing and patted each of the boys on the head. "I don't see how that would be a problem. But," he stared off for a moment sadly. "there is no guarantee that he loves me back."

Fili and Kili thought for a moment as everyone else got distracted by the broken-hearted face Bilbo was making. Then Fili spoke up. "Did he ever smile at you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't think there was a time that he wasn't smiling." Bilbo said after a moment of his own thought.

Fili and Kili smiled at each other once more and then smiled up at Bilbo. "Don't worry. He loves you." They said in perfect unison.

"Uncle Thorin only ever smiles rarely. And that's at the people he loves." Fili explained. "Our mother and we are really the only people that have seen him smile. And now he's smiled at you!" They were so bouncy and happy, that Bilbo couldn't not be happy as well.

"Well, we will see." He said, but that was all that was said on the matter. And the others didn't argue.

The brothers didn't move their heads from Bilbo's lap as Bilbo continued the story with much detail. He told them of his near-death experience with Bard, and then of his run through the forest, and the fight with the spider. They had all frowned at the prospect of Bilbo having to kill something. He had still seemed so innocent and lively and happy, like killing something had not changed his view of anything whatsoever. But they did think that Bilbo wasn't deserving of his situation.

"King Smaug can go rot in his pile of gold, for all I care!" Gloin said bitterly once Bilbo had reached the end of his story.

"Yeah!" his brother agreed. "The damn bastard's too greedy! He has to have everything his way!"

"Disgusting." Kili and Fili muttered together, simultaneously gripping Bilbo's knees harder in their hands their heads were resting on. They felt an urge to protect their new auntie from any danger that came his way.

"Well if one part of your story is true, as well as the rest," Dwalin spoke up, staring into the embers of the dulling fire. "King Thorin won't be happy. That's all I can say."

Everyone sat for a moment, thinking of Dwalin's words. Bilbo didn't know much about Thorin's temper, but the dwarves did. And they knew Dwalin was absolutely right. Thorin would be seething with rage if he was in love with Bilbo and someone had tried to kill him. The thought of his anger, however, made everyone shudder.

Suddenly, a grandfather clock stood across the room chimed eleven times, telling that it was eleven o' clock. "Oh my! It is so late!" he stood up, gently brushing Fili and Kili off his knees. "You all should be going to bed now! You do have to go back to the mine tomorrow." Everyone groaned, except for Balin and Dwalin. "You wouldn't want to be so tired you couldn't even lift your axes, do you?"

"He's right." Dwalin, reluctantly agreed, making Bilbo smile at him. Dwalin turned his head quickly, repeating to himself that the hobbit was _not_ cute. "You all need your rest. Get upstairs."

The dwarves hung their heads as they marched upstairs. Fili and Kili stayed put however, standing in front of Bilbo making puppy-dog eyes at him. Bilbo rolled his eyes but smiled, and gently pulled down each of their heads to give them good-night kisses on the top of their heads. With satisfied smiles, they grabbed Bilbo in a tight group hug, and swiftly followed the others upstairs, calling out, "Good night, Auntie Bilbo!" as the others called out, "Good night, Master Bilbo."

Bilbo smiled as the bedroom door had finally shut, and turned his eyes to the embers of the dying fire. Was there really a chance Thorin loved him back? Before, it had all been false hope. A mere wondering hope in the midst of his imagination. But now, there was a possibility that it was all real? It was too overwhelming for him. He leaned back in his chair with a sigh, pushing the thought aside. He was tired now, and didn't have anywhere to sleep but the bench.

"Umm… Master Bilbo." A voice from the stairs scared Bilbo and made him jump. "Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you!" he turned to see Bofur looking apologetic and standing at the base of the stairs. He had blankets and a pillow in his arms. He shuffled over and placed them on the bench. "Sorry you have to sleep here." Bofur said. "I would offer you my bed, but Dwalin won't let me." He scowled, but it quickly left his face and a smile replaced it. "So instead, I at least brought you my blankets, and one of my pillows. It's the least I could do."

Bilbo jumped up and he gazed at Bofur worriedly. "But what about you? Won't you be cold?" he didn't want Bofur, or anyone else for that matter, to freeze on his account.

Bofur laughed. "It's fine! I don't use my blanket anyway. It's hot in that bedroom, and using them makes me feel like I'm in a boiler."

Bilbo smiled and chuckled, making Bofur blush lightly. "Well then, thank you, Bofur." Bilbo walked up to him. "That is very sweet of you to do." And he took Bofur's head in gentle hands and pulled him down to kiss him on the head just as he had with Fili and Kili. "Now good night and sweet dreams."

By the time Bilbo had released his head, Bofur was standing stock still and his face was redder than it had ever been. "R-Right. Uhh… G-Good night, M-Master Bilbo!" and he clumsily ran up the stairs, back into the bedroom.

Bilbo watched with a smile until Bofur was gone. He laid himself out on the bench and covered himself with the warm blankets. The second his head hit the pillow, he was asleep. And strangely, it was the most peaceful sleep he'd had in a long time.

* * *

"Now to dip the apple in the warg venom." Smaug talked to himself, as he seemed to be doing often lately. He swirled a plain, smooth red apple around in a pot of redder liquid. He pulled the apple out after a moment, and the venom that hadn't seeped into the apple slid down the smooth surface and back into the cauldron.

"Perfect!" He held the apple higher into the air and examined it carefully. It was indeed poisoned, but it remained to have the appearance of a normal apple. His laugh would have sent shivers down anyone's spine, if there had been anyone to hear it. "Now all I must do is travel to the dwarves' home and make sure that little brat eats it!" He laughs again, and puts the apple in a basket filled with others. "I must leave now, though. If the home is truly North of the Forest, then it will be a long journey. And I must be there to find out when Baggins will be alone." With a flash of his robes, he was out of the potion room and began his journey to the dwarf home, instead of sleeping.

* * *

The next morning, after a delicious breakfast, courtesy of Bilbo, the dwarves were at the door of the house, talking to Bilbo before they left for the mines. Bilbo was smiling in spite of what they were talking to him about. They were all standing outside, and he couldn't help but smile at the cool autumn breeze that blew past them, but he was still listening to the dwarves. And their warnings.

Balin was first. "Now Master Bilbo," he began, looking at Bilbo with a semi-stern expression. "We'll be back around four or five o' clock this afternoon, so you find something to occupy your time while we're away. And don't let anyone in the house that seems suspicious!"

"I understand." Bilbo relented. "You needn't remind me." He dragged Balin's head down and gave him a kiss on the head, then released him. "Now be on your way!"

Balin smiled kindly and waved a hand to urge the others along. Most of them followed, but the second one (or two second ones) to approach him that morning were Fili and Kili. "Goodbye, Auntie!" they exclaimed together as if they were one, and pulled Bilbo into a crushing hug, much like they had done the past night. "And remember," Fili said, pulling back with his brother. "we don't want our Auntie to get hurt, so be wary of strangers, ok?"

"Yeah!" Kili agreed. "Don't talk to them. Anyone that seems suspicious, you leave them outside! Even if it's a baby in a wicker basket!" he joked, but it was still in all seriousness.

Bilbo laughed, in spite of the warning, and kissed the top of their heads, just as he had before. "I will remember. Now hurry along! Or else you will be late." Fili and Kili nodded and scurried off after the others.

The third to approach him was Bofur. "Umm," he looked very timid and was staring at the grass below his feet instead of at Bilbo. "I know the others have told you, b-but I'm really worried about you s-so please don't ignore the warnings. I don't know what would happen if… well if something happened to you." He shyly glanced up from the ground and looked into Bilbo's beautiful green eyes. Green had lately been his favorite color.

Bilbo smiles. "It's sweet of you to worry, Bofur." He said, and pulled Bofur's hat off, much to his surprise and kissed him on the head once again. After, he placed the hat back on the dwarf's stunned head. Without another word escaping him, he ran off in the direction of the mines, not wasting any time.

The fourth to approach him was Dwalin. "Now, I'm only warning you, because if King Thorin were to find out something happened to you while under my care, I'd be dead." He stated as if he said such things every day. "Do not let anyone in this house. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I do." Bilbo said with another bright smile lighting his features. Dwalin grunted and leaned his head down to be level with Bilbo's face. "What on Earth are you doing?" Bilbo asked curiously.

Dwalin glanced up, still leaned over. "I thought this is what you were doing to everyone." He said monotonously. He sounded suspiciously like he wanted to get it over with quickly, but there was also a hint of hope in his tone, that he hid well.

Bilbo giggled and placed a kiss on the top of Dwalin's bald head. And without a word, he left, hiding the very faint blush on his face. "Goodbye!" Bilbo called out after him, but he didn't turn around, or even acknowledge that Bilbo had called out after him. With a huff of annoyance, Bilbo walked back in the house and shut the door. "How rude."

* * *

King Thorin sighed heavily as he woke up late that morning. He was already in foul mood and now his journey home would be delayed. Every second counted. It was enough that the meeting with him and Dain had been cancelled. It was just the previous night that the intimidated messenger found him in the forest and shakily told him that some sort of dispute had begun between the dwarves of the Iron Hills and those of the Blue Mountains. Thorin growled at the thought that he had wasted in entire day riding through Mirkwood, facing danger and spiders, to have the meeting cancelled.

But one side of his mind told him that the trip the previous day wasn't a waste of time at all. If he had never begun the journey, then he never would have met that hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. Thorin smiled at the mere thought of the name. He pictured the deep red blushes, the wide green eyes, and the rosy pink lips that were so hesitant in speaking. But he frowned at the memory of the small scar on his face. If the spider had not given it to him, then who or what did? The hobbit was very mysterious indeed.

Stretching and sighing once again, Thorin stood from the uncomfortable Forest floor and began preparing for the journey home. He wanted to get back as soon as possible. With his nephews working away in the mines, his sister, Dis, had taken the throne in his stead, and he wanted to get back before she could make any unwanted changes to his kingdom. It may have only been temporary, but she was still in power, and she would definitely realize that.

Perhaps, though, he might run into the hobbit again, and a smiled graced Thorin's usually scowling face. He wouldn't mind a bit if that happened.

* * *

Bilbo hummed cheerily as he swept the floors with a flourish, although there was really no point. The place was still spotless from the day before. He had the windows opened, letting in the fresh air from the beautiful morning outside. The sun was shining through the opening, and lit the usually dark room considerably. Bilbo had just enough light to see what and where he needed to work. That was just enough for him.

But he couldn't help but feel a bit lonely in the quiet house. It was much different when the dwarves were there. They were loud and rambunctious and were always doing something. They also had a childish air about them, which made Bilbo smile just remembering the fun they had the previous night. But they were gone now, and he would have to wait until almost noon for them to be back. He missed them, and they hadn't even been gone for a couple of hours.

Suddenly, to Bilbo's surprise, there was a feeble, almost inaudible, knock on the door. 'That's strange,' Bilbo thought, eyeing the door with suspicion. 'Who would come to the house at this hour? And who would even happen upon this house?'

Bilbo quietly set down the broom and took his sword that he kept in the front room, in case he ran into suspicious company. As it seemed, it had been a good idea, because he found that a knock on the door at ten o' clock in the morning to be _very_ suspicious. He opened the door a crack, sword hidden behind his back, and peeked out. On the doorstep, there was an elderly man, dressed in a long red and black cloak. He was very eerie looking, with his wrinkly smile and wart-covered nose. But he was also carrying a basket of apples that looked regretfully delicious.

"Hello, young man." The elder man spoke. His voice was shaky and quiet, but he spoke with an air of kindness and confidence. But Bilbo was still suspicious, no matter how kind he sounded. "I've been traveling through the Forest and I'm absolutely tired. Would you be kind enough to let me in for a moment? An old man needs his rest." The man smiled once more, but something was off about it this time. It seemed slightly… evil.

"I'm sorry," Bilbo faked sincere apology. "but I can't let you do that. There is a rule about talking to strangers, you know." He knew it sounded ridiculous, but whatever would get this old man off the porch, then he would say it a million times over.

The man frowned for a fraction of a second, before going back to a smile. "I understand, lad." The man reasoned. "And I appreciate your caution. Not many people would take such warnings to heart." Bilbo nodded along, only wishing for the man to leave already. "And for that, I'd like to offer you one of the apples in my basket. The best one, in fact." The old man reached into his basket and pulled out a shiny, blood red apple, and held it out in front of him. "They're freshly picked."

Bilbo gripped his sword tighter in his hand. "I apologize, but I can't accept that." He began. "There are cautions for taking things from strangers as well as talking to them."

The old man's smile now looked forced. "Yes, well I insist you take it. I promise you I have done nothing to it. It's a perfect apple. Much to your taste, I would think."

Bilbo wanted to roll his eyes. He felt sorry for having to kick the man off his doorstep, but he was still a very suspicious person. Who knows what would happen if he let him in? There was an endless amount of possibilities. Some were good of course, but most were bad. _Very_ bad. And taking the apple? That was even worse. But if it made the man leave… "Fine. I'll take the apple. But only the one." He held up a finger to clarify.

The man's smile grew twice as big, and Bilbo's grip on his sword was so hard, his knuckles were turning white. "Excellent!" he exclaimed, holding out the apple further, which Bilbo took begrudgingly. "Go ahead. Take a bite! You'll see nothing is wrong with it!" the man urged.

Bilbo heaved a great sigh and slumped his shoulders. This man was never going to give up, it seemed. He looked at the gleaming red apple that seemed so innocent when resting in his hand. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it. It looked just like all the other apples in the old man's basket. But he was still weary. Finally Bilbo relented. "You want me to take just… one bite, right?" he clarified. "And then if I don't want it I can throw it away?"

"You can do whatever you'd like with it." The old man said back, though there was a darkness in his eyes that didn't settle well with Bilbo.

"…Fine." Bilbo put the apple to his mouth, rather reluctantly, and took a miniscule bite of the clean red surface. He chewed slowly and carefully and then finally swallowed it. Surprisingly, nothing happened. Bilbo felt perfectly normal. Nothing was wrong. He wasn't dead, he wasn't choking. He wasn't doing anything but standing there feeling slightly embarrassed. In fact, the apple actually tasted quite delicious, and he would have taken another bite, had the man not begun to speak.

"See?" he asked, tauntingly. "There was nothing to be afraid of in the first place! It was only a harmless apple!" he shifted his grip on the basket and began to walk away. "I'm afraid I must be off now, though. This was enough of a rest that I needed." He was on the edge of the Forest now. "And remember, don't talk to strangers!" he laughed loudly, a cackling laugh that chilled Bilbo to the bone, but he said nothing in return as the man disappeared into the trees.

Bilbo stared at the spot that the man had been standing in for a moment, before shaking his head clear of the memory and returning inside. He stood there and looked at his sword, wondering if he would have even been able to use it if he had had to. But the thought was no longer important, for Bilbo began to feel… ill.

He fell to the ground clutching his stomach in agony. It felt like it was going to explode! The pain was so intense that he screamed, and through the window, he could hear the birds rustle around in the trees before flying off in fear. It was then that Bilbo knew he had been right about that strange old man. He had poisoned him! But why? Bilbo had never seen him before in his life! 'Maybe he was another assassin,' Bilbo concluded to himself. 'He was probably sent by Smaug! Curse him! Curse that man and all his greed!'

Bilbo fell to his side and his eyes gently closed, the pain in his stomach easing away, and though it was a relief, it was also terrifying. 'I'm sorry everyone,' he spoke in his head, apologizing the only way he could. 'I didn't mean to… do it. Now… you will have to live alone. For that… I'm so sorry.' And the pain was washed away, as everything around him faded to black.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Soooo... I feel bad about doing that to poor Bilbo :( But I do have a request!

My dream would come true if someone drew a fanart of Fili and Kili resting their heads on Bilbo's knees like they did in that scene! But if no one wants to, that's fine as well :)

I would do it myself if I could draw :/

**PLEASE REVIEW XD**


	4. Part 4

**Author's Note: **One more chapter, but you might have to wait for it. I was originally going to end the story here, but I thought I would put in a little bit more as a sort of epilogue.

Sorry. It's the weekend though, so you shouldn't have to wait long. :)

P.S. This chapter feels so rushed to me. I'm not proud of it. :/

* * *

King Smaug laughed his evil laugh as his body began to transform back into its original state. He had reached his palace just in time. "Finally!" he laughed maniacally. "I've finally ridden myself of that little burden! By now he should be long dead!" he continued to laugh.

"He is not dead, only sleeping." The mirror suddenly spoke, sounding a bit relieved. "He will stay that way till the day where his true love gives a kiss." He didn't rhyme, for the situation didn't seem appropriate.

Smaug stopped laughing immediately. "What. Did you just say?" he snarled, stepping closer and closer to the mirror until his nose was barely touching the glass.

"I said," the mirror replied, growing out of his bleak voice and instead, gaining a voice of his own. "Bilbo Baggins is not dead. He is only asleep, and he will sleep until he receives true love's first kiss."

Smaug ground his teeth together in anger, and was about to smash the glass with his fist, but then stopped as a sudden thought reached him. When would Bilbo Baggins ever find true love? He had never been allowed out of the castle, and almost no one had ever interacted with him in the castle. Unless he had fallen in love with a dwarf (which was highly unlikely), then Bilbo would remain asleep, in a death-like state. It was fine. Nothing would happen. Smaug was sure. Bilbo's love would never find him.

Hopefully.

* * *

"Alright everyone!" Dwalin shouted over his bell ringing. "Time to leave! Put the axes away!"

The dwarves excitedly dropped their axes and practically sprinted out of the cave, almost running Dwalin over.

"They seem excited, don't they?" Balin came over to help his brother up from the cold, hard rocky ground. "I guess they really want to see Master Bilbo."

Dwalin growled as he was assisted up. "Yes, well they did seem distracted all day. I wondered why."

Together, the brothers walked back calmly, through the forest no less, and they couldn't deny that they had wanted to see Bilbo again as well. The hobbit was just so happy and nice, and they had grown to like him very much in the last day. Even though they hadn't known him for very long.

However, when they reached the house, they couldn't hear any noises coming from the inside like they expected. They glanced at each other, knowing that there must be something wrong. Hurriedly, they rushed inside of the house to see all the dwarves standing in a huddle. Sounds of muffled sobs were coming from the group. Balin and Dwalin went forward, breaking through the huddle to see what they were all looking at. And they had been looking at Bilbo.

They had been looking at Bilbo, who was lying on the ground. _Dead._

Fili, Kili and Bofur were all crying. The others all looked like they were about to start shedding tears, but they never came. Ori was closer to crying than the others.

"What has happened?" Balin was quiet. He was too stunned to be louder. Bilbo was fine that morning, so happy and full of life, and now… he was lifeless. "What happened to him?" he repeated when no one answered him the first time.

It was Fili who spoke up as he held his younger brother, who was crying harder. "We don't know." He answered with a shaking voice. "We just came back and found him…" he trailed off, his tears beginning to flow out again. Kili grabbed at his coat harder, and Fili looked down at him. They had been so happy that their Uncle had finally found someone to love. For a while, they had felt like a true family. A mother, an Uncle and an Auntie. But now, all they had was a mother, an Uncle and each other. For some reason… it didn't feel complete.

Bofur was staring down at Bilbo, tears dripping down his face, but there was no noise coming from him. The one person he had ever fallen in love with was now lying dead before his own eyes. Even in death, Bilbo had managed to look peaceful and angelic, and it drove Bofur insane. He knew there had been no chance for him, of course, but he was still happy because Bilbo was happy! That was all he really wanted. And if Bilbo was happy loving King Thorin, then Bofur was happy as well. But that was when his thoughts ended abruptly, and his blood began running cold.

King Thorin. What were they going to tell him?

All the others seemed to be thinking the same thing. "The King will be furious." Nori spoke up with a slightly vibrating voice.

"It's fine!" Balin reassured, holding back his own tears with a strong will. "He won't be back for a few weeks! He's going all the way to the Iron Hills, and you know how far away those are. And he only left yesterday."

There was suddenly a loud thumping noise coming from outside the open window. Everyone froze. Dwalin went over to the window and looked out, to see King Thorin himself meandering out of Mirkwood Forest, right toward the house. "It's the king!" he alerted everyone, causing many groans and gasps.

"What are we going to tell him?" One called.

"We have to hide him! That's the only way!" Another cried.

"Yeah, we can't let him see!"

"STOP." Balin shouted over everyone's frantic yelling. "We will not hide Bilbo's body from the King." He held up a hand for silence when the others began to interrupt him. "If Thorin was truly in love with him, then he needs to know. His heart may break, but at least it will not be filled with false hope."

"But we'll be blamed for it!" Gloin cried, sounding utterly terrified. "He'll blame everything on us!"

"Are we not to blame?" Balin asked. Silence filled the room once more. "One or two of us could have been sacrificed from the mine to stay with him every day." He eyed Dwalin out of the corner of his eye. He stared at the floor in shame.

In the following quiet, there came a thunderous knock at the door. The dwarves all held their breath as Balin went to answer it.

Outside was Thorin, standing with his arms crossed over his chest and staring down at Balin with a curious gaze. It became even more curious when, instead of inviting him inside, closed the door behind him as he stepped out. Apparently, they were going to speak outside, then.

"My lord," Balin began as smoothly as possible. "I thought you were on your way to the Iron Hills?"

"The meeting with Bard was cancelled. Word reached me in the forest just last night. Now, what is going on in there? I heard yelling just a moment ago." He raised an eyebrow of suspicion.

Balin sighed largely and bowed his head. "Thorin, lad," he spoke more seriously and personally, raising Thorin's suspicion. "Yesterday we found a boy, a hobbit, in need of help and we let him stay, even before he offered to watch the house while we were away." He paused. "Later that evening he was telling us about what had happened to him that day, and he said he met you." Thorin's eyes widened as he stared at Balin in shock, not daring to stop his tale. "He told us how he fell in love and that wished to see you again. And then we all slept. But this morning when we left for the mine something must have happened because…" he trailed off, glancing at Thorin's glaring eyes. "It's better if you come see for yourself."

Thorin dreaded those words. He knew what they meant. Tragedy had struck. He had been alive long enough to understand that much. But what could have happened to the sweet, lovely hobbit that in that hour he had grown to love? Without thought, he pushed past Balin into the house, and saw it. All the dwarves he sent out to the mines were standing around a figure lying on the floor, paler than snow. It was Bilbo. He knew for sure. He would recognize the honey curls anywhere. He rushed forward and kneeled down next to him, ignoring the others around them. As gently as possible, he took the hobbit's hand in his and felt the pulse. Nothing. So it was for sure, then? It seemed as much. "My dear Bilbo," he said through the tears that leaked from his eyes. It was the first time he had cried since his father was killed. "I've found you again, but I was too late. I'm so sorry!" he lifted the hand to his lips once again and held it there. The skin was ice cold.

But as sudden as it had come, the sadness morphed into rage. Who or what could have been evil enough to do this to Bilbo? What foul creature could have ever harmed such an innocent thing? His blood began to boil. He set the hobbit's hand back down to lay with him and stood slowly, not facing any of the others. "Who?" he ground out lowly. "Who did this to him!" he turned around finally to see all the tearful faces surrounding him.

"W-we don't know, Uncle." Kili spoke up, wiping the heavy tears with his jacket. "We came home and we f-found him like this."

Thorin looked around him. Though he didn't look at the dwarves. Instead, he looked at the floor, searching for any evidence of what went down. He saw a sword resting against the wall, next to the front door, but he immediately ruled that out. There was no blood or stab wound, so it would have been impossible for him to have been killed with that. He continued to search the room, much to the confusion of the dwarves. Soon, a flash of red caught his attention. He quickly went over to it and found that it was an apple. And there was a bite taken out of it. Glaring his eyes, Thorin sniffed at the bite puncture and his suspicions were confirmed.

"He ate from a poisoned apple." He announced. Gasps resounded around the room.

"Smaug!" Dwalin snarled from corner, narrowing his eyes.

Thorin turned to him slowly. "Smaug?" he repeated in question. "What does that bastard have anything to do with this?"

"He was trying to kill Bilbo!" Bofur shouted, as if he had just realized it himself. "He must have sent out another assassin!"

Thorin was so angry by this point, the apple was crushed from his tight grasp, making all the dwarves flinch away from him. Smaug had tried to kill Bilbo? Why? What had Bilbo ever done wrong? Surely nothing! He didn't look the type to be a trouble-maker, especially to higher ranking authority figures, such as Smaug. So what was the story behind the hatred? The opposite side of Thorin's brain said it didn't matter. It only mattered that Smaug had murdered the one thing Thorin felt he loved. He was going to get revenge whether he knew why Bilbo was dead, or not.

Without a word, Thorin pulled Orcrist from his belt and went to the door. "Where are you going," one of the dwarves asked. Thorin didn't bother to turn around to see who spoke.

"I'm going to find Smaug." He replied simply as he stomped through the door. And in a flash he was on his pony and galloping away.

The dwarves still standing around Bilbo looked around at each other, then back at the door. There was no need of consultation for them to come to a unanimous decision to follow the king.

* * *

"Smaug!" Thorin shouted as he burst through the doors of Smaug's castle. "Where are you? Show yourself!" his demand echoed through an empty throne room as the remaining twelve dwarves in his company charged into the room after him. "Come out from hiding! It's thirteen against one!"

A laugh resounded around the room, causing the dwarves to go rigid. "King Thorin," a dark, condescending voice spoke. "what a surprise to see you. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Smaug appeared at the top of the stairs, and began his descent slowly.

"What have you done to Master Baggins?" Bofur suddenly exclaimed, shrinking back when he saw Smaug's eyes move sharply to him.

"Master Baggins?" Smaug inquired, feigning innocence. "Who is that? I do not recall such a name."

"He was one of your servants!" Fili stepped up, glaring sharply. "He worked for you until you tried to kill him! But then, the assassin let him go, and he ran to us for help!"

"But while we were gone today, you sent another assassin and that one finished the job!" Kili finished the story, stepping up next to his brother and Uncle.

"You have drawn the line at this!" Thorin interrupted, holding his sword in front of him. "In all the years I have lived, I have heard stories and even been witness to your greed. You have aided none in their wars, but asked for help in your own, given no gold, but asked for some when in debt. You are the example of a King undeserving of his crown. Taking the life of an innocent is far beyond measure!"

By this point, a raging mad Smaug had reached the bottom of the stairs and was standing before Thorin. He looked down at the sword that was poking at his chest with disdain. Thorin claiming Bilbo was innocent had sent him over the edge. "That brat was anything but innocent!" he snarled. "Before that pipsqueak ever came into the picture, I was the fairest in the land! But ever since he came of age, the magic mirror tells me he is more beautiful than I! So I had to get rid of him! So I could be the fairest in the land!" he sounded hysterical now, ending his monologue in a maniacal, cackling laugh.

The dwarves were appalled and furious now. The King's reasoning was absurd. Jealousy was no reason to kill someone! If it was, then Smaug would probably have been killed a long time ago. He made many kingdoms and rulers jealous with his wealth and jewels. He would keep it all to himself and stow it away where no one could see or find it. But whenever he had the chance, he wasn't afraid to flash his gold around like it wasn't valuable at all. He would tease and berate the other kingdoms about their lack of gold, and laugh in their faces. It was even told in history that Smaug had stolen the gold from the dwarves many years ago, but Smaug always insisted that it wasn't true.

Everyone knew it to be a lie.

Without thought, and without mind, Fili and Kili roared with anger and charged from the group to Smaug with their swords drawn. Smaug ducked out of the way easily and he tripped Kili with a swipe of his leg, and whacked Fili on the back harshly, knocking the wind out of him. Both the young dwarves lied on their stomachs on the ground, groaning in pain, as Smaug stepped over them to close in on the others.

"I am sorry it has to be this way." Smaug tilted his head, his expression unchanging. "But it seems that you know too much. You all will die next, and I am afraid that you're death will be more painful than your friend's." He reached into his robes and pulled out a longsword, sharper than an Eagle's vision. It gleamed in the firelight of the chandelier hanging above them. The dwarves, however, were not intimidated. They readied their weapons, with Thorin at the lead and prepared themselves for defense.

"It is hopeless for you, Smaug." Thorin announced, his voice rose in strength. "It is thirteen against one! You will never make it out alive! If this battle were to wage on, there would be no outcome in your triumph! Bilbo would be avenged and Middle Earth would be rid of you! Give up now!"

Smaug's laugh resided through the room, sending shivers down most of the dwarves' spines. "That may be true. But what about thirteen against… a dragon?" And the change before them was suddenly hideous.

Smaug's nose transformed into a snout, his nails and teeth grew sharper, turning themselves into claws and fangs. The skin on his body changed from smooth and tan to red scales, rimmed with gold. A sharp ended tail grew from his backside as he grew ever taller, almost touching the roof of the castle. And as soon as it had started, the transformation was done. Instead of Smaug, before them stood a mighty dragon, that was so large, the dwarves could barely even see the head of it, past its large underbelly. The dragon roared loudly, violently shaking the ground under their feet.

Thorin stared up at Smaug, his eyes remained determined but his confidence dwindled slightly. The situation was more dire, now. They were facing a creature that went unknown in Middle Earth for centuries. A blazing red Fire Drake that could spit flames hotter than lava. "Don't hold back!" Thorin shouted to his company, eyes fierce with fortitude. "Hold your ground! We're not leaving now!" He raised his sword above his head for all to see. "Charge!"

The dwarves shouted battle cries and surged forward, weapons drawn before them, to attack the Drake with all they had. Stabs and scratches were served to Smaug's legs, and the dragon roared in pain. He swiped his tail out in front him, getting most of the dwarves off guard, and whacking them hard into the stone wall across the room. Thorin, Dwalin, Fili and Kili had managed to dodge the swipe, and Fili grabbed onto the tail, beginning to climb. He climbed the tail all the way up to the Dragon's back and stabbed his daggers repeatedly into the scales.

While Fili easily distracted the Dragon, who was scratching his large claws at his back, thankfully not reaching Fili, Kili launched in arrow into Smaug's throat, making his attention shift once more. His claws were too large to remove the arrow from his throat, and in his blind rage, he roared once more, filling the room with large flames. The heat was unbearable, and the dwarves barely escaped being roasted. Only Kili had been spared from the flames, as his uncle dove in front of him for protection.

The claws soared down upon them, landing on the ground, crushing a few of the dwarves, but not killing them. They lay motionless in defeat and were defenseless to any attacks. "Kili!" Thorin shouted over the Dragon's cry. "Take the others to shelter! Come back when they are safe from more harm!" he swung again at the Smaug's leg.

"But Uncle-" Kili began to protest.

"Do as I say, Kili!" Thorin screamed back again, as flames surrounded them once more. "Go now! Before we lose someone!"

Kili hesitated a moment, staring at his uncle in worry. And his gaze turned to Fili who was now climbing onto the Dragon's head. He breathed deeply before spinning around and rushing off to the five dwarves that were singed and groaning in pain.

It was now Thorin, Dwalin, Balin, Fili, Bofur, Gloin, Dori, and Bifur fighting the raging Dragon. The flames continued to shower their bodies in swift heat, but for the sake of Middle Earth, and the sake of Bilbo's restless soul, they remained on their feet, fighting the Dragon with all their might. The courage and adrenaline coursed through their veins, giving them more strength then they ever thought possible. The Dragon's legs now were fleshy and torn, as they were the only things the dwarves could really reach. Fili had finally reached the Dragon's head without hesitation, he sank his dagger into the Smaug's hard skull. Smaug arched back, falling roughly against the wall behind him. Fili lost his balance in the vibration and fell from the head, his dagger still wedged in the skull.

At Thorin's rough command, Dwalin rushed over and caught Fili as he fell, and both landed harshly on the ground. Balin followed them to help, but the Dragon's arm landed suddenly in front of him, separating him from Fili and his brother. The dragon had fallen.

But the eyes were still blazing. A sharp swing of his tail caught all the dwarves off guard and knocked them back again into the wall. Groaning, they sat up, attempting to get back on their feet, but before they could, Smaug reached over and grabbed Thorin in his mighty claws and pulled him away from the others. They shouted and grabbed at their King but the Dragon was much stronger than them. Soon, Thorin found himself looking Smaug directly in the large eye.

"You will be first, puny King!" Smaug snarled in a rumbling tone that shock the ground as much as his roar did. Thorin struggled, but the claws' grip was much too strong. He was trapped. The mouth of the Dragon reared open and Thorin bravely braced himself for the pain. The shouts of his company were merely background noise. He had fought bravely. He was proud that he would die in battle, even in such a way. But he wasn't afraid to die for Middle Earth, or for Bilbo.

But the pain never came.

Out of nowhere, a black-tipped arrow had shot sharply past Thorin's ear, and struck Smaug right in the soft underbelly where his heart should have been located. Immediately, Thorin was dropped harshly to the ground, gasping for breath as the claws had crushed his lungs considerably in their grip. Smaug roared once more, clutching at his heart. The arrow cut off, but the tip remained embedded in his heart. His tail swished around, writhing in the pain. The dwarves all covered themselves in defense from the strong swings. And then, it was over.

Smaug was defeated.

Thorin stared down at the formerly fearful Dragon. It was motionless, lying in a pool of its own blood. Many of the dwarves limped over from the wall to look at the creature as well. Its jaw was limp, hanging on the floor, the eyes thankfully closed as it had died. It was finally over. But the question remained, who was the one who slew it.

"Lord Thorin!" A voice shouted from far across the room. Every dwarf turned around sharply to see a man standing high on a window sill, with a bow resting in his hand. Thorin stepped forward out of the huddle to see the man more clearly as he jumped down from the sill.

"Who are you?" Thorin questioned as he approached the strange man. "What business do you have here?"

The man crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. "First, I would like to point out that if I wasn't here, you and your company would most likely be dead." At Thorin's glare, he continued. "Second, I had been summoned earlier by the Lord Smaug, and had heard the commotion from the outside. I knew Smaug to be a shifter, but I didn't expect it to be a Dragon." He glanced back at the large monster for a second, before looking back to Thorin. "So, what has brought you here, King Under the Mountain? Shouldn't you be ruling your land?" he finished with a small smirk.

Thorin growled. "I asked who you were! And if you have knowledge of who you are speaking to, then I suggest you answer now!" His grip tightened on Orcrist's handle.

"Forgive me, your highness." The man bowed largely, humoring the King. "My name is Bard, huntsman of Laketown. I took work reluctantly from the King on the seldom occasion he would call for me." His gaze shifted downward for a small bit, as if ashamed.

"You're Bard!?" Fili questioned, coming up behind his Uncle. "You were the one that told Bilbo to run!"

Bard turned to Fili, his gaze concerned. "You know Bilbo?" he instinctively stepped forward, fists clenching tightly. "How? You sound urgent? Has something happened?"

All the dwarves suddenly fell quiet, their gazes moving solemnly to the blood-stained floor below them. It was Balin that finally spoke. "Bilbo was poisoned by the Lord Smaug. That was the reason we had come here. To avenge his death, and put an end to Smaug's cruelty."

Bard's eyes widened, but his fists unclenched. To the dwarves' disbelief, he raised a hand to his chest and sighed heavily in relief. "Poisened? Is that all?" he asked.

"Is that all?" Thorin repeated, the anger rising in him once more. "He is dead, and you mean to ask, "Is that all?"" his voice had sounded similar to Smaug's roar.

Bard glared back at the King. "Smaug's poison is not real poison." Bard explained, his arms returning to their original position across his chest. "His poison has a fatal flaw. The individual who consumes the poison is not really dead. They are really in a state of sleep so real, it seems like they are dead. And the only way for the person to awaken is to be kissed by his true love."

The dwarves stared at Bard. Twelve jaws were dropped on the floor. Thorin was the first to speak. "It's that simple?" a questioning eyebrow arched. "How do I know you are telling me the truth?"

Bard smirked. "Well, would you rather believe me to be a liar, or would you rather try to bring your hobbit friend back to life?"

The dwarves all looked at Thorin with pleading eyes. "Please, Uncle!" Kili came up next to him. "Bilbo loves you so much! It would be worth the try, wouldn't it?"

Everyone held their breath as Thorin continued to stare skeptically at Bard. But after a moment of thought, Thorin sighed heavily and declared, "I will attempt to wake him. But I cannot assure that it is me who will be able to do it."

The dwarves all cheered in unison, hugging each other tightly in turn. Fili and Kili both whooped with joy and hugged Thorin tightly on his sides. "Don't worry, Uncle!" Fili said. "You'll do it! Most definitely!"

* * *

Bilbo was laid on the bench that was just big enough for him to fit comfortably on, with his head rested comfortably on a small, fluffy pillow. The dwarves and Bard surrounded him on all sides, watching him with observing eyes. Thorin was standing before the rest, leaning over Bilbo with his hands holding him only centimeters away from the hobbit's full, red lips. "Bilbo," his whispered, so the other dwarves could not hear. "I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can, and this kiss does not work," he moved a hand to Bilbo's pale cheek. "I want you to know… that I love you." He spoke, as he pushed forward slowly more and finally pressed his lips against Bilbo's.

They were soft, and the scent that radiated was not one of death, but the sweet scent of strawberries and cupcakes. Thorin smiled into the kiss, despite the dark tone of the room. However, he didn't pay attention to the gasps around the room, and only felt something was happening, when he felt a small hand slide into his hair and the soft lips against his own parted slightly and pulled him closer. Out of surprise, Thorin pulled away, to see striking green eyes below him flutter open. The smile spread across Thorin's face before he could stop it.

Bilbo had wakened!

Everyone, including Bard, cried out with happiness as Thorin helped Bilbo to sit up. His hand stayed on the small of Bilbo's back, even as he was sitting perfectly fine, as if he was afraid the hobbit would fall asleep again.

Bilbo blinked and looked around at his surroundings, shocked by the sudden noise of laughing dwarves. Then he officially met the eyes of the one dwarf holding him. "King Thorin?" he reeled back in surprise, but found it wasn't easy, because of the hand holding his back. A blush he hadn't felt on his cheeks in a while, colored his face as the hand on his back pulled him into a strong embrace.

"Thank Aule you're alright!" Thorin exclaimed, clutching the life out of poor little Bilbo. "I was worried it wasn't going to work." He pulled away from the hug to see Bilbo's red face.

Before Bilbo could reply, Bombur shouted, "This calls for celebration!" The others agreed heartily and loudly, and rushed into the front room to begin singing and dancing. Well, all except for Bard, who merely sauntered after them with a small smirk of triumph.

Bilbo and Thorin remained behind, staring into each other's eyes and not making a sound. The tension in the room could have been sliced with a knife. Bilbo was beginning to shy away, and looked down at the hands folded in his lap. "So…" he began, not really knowing what to say. "W-what happens now?" he decided to ask, glancing at the King through his eyelashes.

Thorin smiled a small smile and his thumb started to rub circles into Bilbo's back. "Well, I was planning on leaving with my company to return to Erebor. And when we arrive, I have a letter that must be sent to the Iron Hills immediately." He paused, taking a large, shuddering breath. "But then… I was hoping that a wedding would be in order." His voice was so low and soft, Bilbo almost had to strain to hear it.

Bilbo sucked in a sharp breath, his hands beginning to shake and his mouth felt suddenly dry. "A wedding?" his eyes wanted to start watering, but Bilbo wouldn't allow it. He would feign happiness no matter who Thorin decided to marry. He had probably been engaged for years, he was a King after all. In fact, Bilbo had been surprised he wasn't married yet. "For whom?"

"Well," Thorin hesitated, taking one of Bilbo's quivering hands into one of his own and smoothed his thumb over the back of it. A memory of the kiss he placed there the day before flashed into his mind, and he smiled. "if you would accept it," he continued. "it would be for you and I."

Bilbo's brain stopped working. His breath caught in his throat. The only sound he could hear, was the beating of his heart, and the muffled celebration of the dwarves in the next room. Thorin was asking him to marry him? Thorin actually _wanted_ to marry him? Out of all the people he could have in Middle Earth; all the royalty, higher class, and better known people, he was going to chose a small hobbit he had known for one day? A hobbit that had nothing to his name, and nothing to call his own, but the clothes on his back?

"After all," Thorin spoke again, pulling Bilbo further into his arms once more, now smirking. "It was true love's first kiss that was to wake you. And when _I_ kissed you, you woke."

Bilbo flushed all the way to his feet. "Y-you really want to m-marry me?" he stared into the deep blue eyes above him, having to crane his head back quite a bit.

Thorin saw the hopefulness shining brightly in Bilbo's wide, green eyes. "Yes, Bilbo." He said, his hand reaching up to cup the hobbit's heavily flushed cheek. "There is nothing more I would want in the world. Will you please accept?"

Bilbo blinked about fifteen times before his answer came out. "Of course." And paying no mind to his common sense, he leaned forward and kissed Thorin on the lips, moving his hands into the long, dark hair.

Thorin, albeit taken aback by the hobbit's sudden boldness, kissed him back, wrapping his arms around the small waist before him and holding Bilbo as close as he possibly could. The moment seemed to last forever, just the two of them, cuddled in each other's arms, never wanting to let go. The world had dissipated around them long ago, leaving no trace of its presence. It just dissolved around the two lovers, like it knew its presence wasn't needed. Bilbo and Thorin's attentions were only on one another, and nothing else seemed to matter. They were engaged, and it was the happiest moment of their lives.

After a few minutes, Bofur had been asked by the other dwarves to go find Bilbo and Thorin and ask if they ever planned to join the celebration. Peeking back into the kitchen, Bofur saw the two kissing and, surprisingly, it didn't hurt him as much as he had thought it would. Instead, he found the scene heart wrenching, and quite cute. You could see the love between the two, and could sense that they never wanted to part. Bofur smiled. If Bilbo was happy, he was happy. And if Thorin made him happy, then all was right with the world.

"Excuse me!" he called into the room, reluctantly breaking the romantic mood. Bilbo and Thorin jerked apart in surprise, and looked over to Bofur. "If you two want, you can come in the main room with the rest of us. We were kind of hoping you would, seeing how this celebration is mainly for you."

Bilbo smiled. "We will be there shortly, Bofur. Do not worry about us. Bofur returned the smile immediately and, with a wink, he left the two alone again.

"Well," Thorin looked down at the hobbit in his arms. "Shall we tell the others of our engagement? Or should we keep it to ourselves for a while?"

Bilbo thought for a moment. "I don't see why we should keep it from them." He replied, smiling brightly. "They're going to find out one day. And it's not like any of them would object."

Thorin leaned down and rested a kiss on the top of Bilbo's head. "Very well, we will do it now, since they are all present. And when we return to the mountain, we will announce it to the Kingdom. Does that sound alright?"

Bilbo smiled the largest and brightest smile he had ever had. His shining green eyes were shimmering with happiness and mirth, and even unshed tears. His heart had never felt so alight in all his life. He had grown up beaten and bruised and bossed around by King Smaug. But that wasn't a problem anymore, now that he was getting married, and awake from his sleep. Though he didn't know that Smaug was dead, he did know that if he was ever bothered again, he could protect himself with his sword. Even though he failed in not eating the apple, he had fought the Mirkwood spiders. And now, he was getting married. "Yes, Thorin." He answered, moving his hands to each side of Thorin's face. "It sounds absolutely perfect."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Soooo... What would you like to see in the next chapter? I wanna know! XD

I already have an idea of what I'm gonna write, but let me know what you wanna see, and I will take all suggestions to heart! :) But nothing to do with Mpreg or Frodo.

I already have a plan for them... ;)


	5. Part 5

**Author's Note: **So, this is it! The end of the chapter! But I have a HUGE surprise for you at the end! :D

Enjoy!

**WARNING! PLEASE READ!**  
There is Mpreg near the end of this chapter. I will put in a warning when it starts, but up until that point, you may read!

* * *

Thorin sat on his bed with his head in his hands. He was getting married! He was happy, of course. He was going to spend the rest of his life with the one he loved most. But what if he messed everything up? What if he did something horrible, and Bilbo would be so mad at him, he would call off the wedding? What if Bilbo got tired of being with Thorin after a few years and wanted to split apart? What if Bilbo hadn't even wanted to get married in the first place, and just agreed to it because he was too nice to say no? He had been thinking this way for about an hour now. The thoughts continued to race through his mind, nonstop. They were giving him a massive headache, and his stomach was beginning to churn.

Suddenly, an obnoxiously loud knock on his door shocked him out of his reverie. "Enter!" he called out, but didn't look up as the being came into the room.

"You look upset." A female voice rang out. "Is this not supposed to be a happy day?"

Thorin sighed heavily and his head dropped out of his hands. "Dis," he spoke, finally turning to look at his younger sister. "Is now honestly the best time to be taunting me?"

Dis laughed loudly, and flung a lock of her blonde hair over her shoulder. "I originally came to ask you if you were planning on coming out and standing by the alter so we could get started with the wedding, but I guess I'm just taunting you now." He gave a mock bow. "My apologies, brother."

Thorin rolled his eyes and stood up. "Must I come out now? How long has it been?" he hid the nervousness in his voice quite well.

"Hmm… about… two hours." Dis replied, stepping closer to her brother. "Master Bilbo is waiting in his room for Bofur collect him when it's time. But it will never be time, until we have you outside of your room."

Thorin was quiet and staring at the floor and Dis didn't think herself a genius for being able to tell what was wrong. She smiled evilly. "Is somebody nervous?" she asked teasingly, leaning in to see his face.

Thorin growled and turned further away from her. "No!" he said a little too quickly and loudly. "I'm only… giving Bilbo more time to prepare himself."

"Thorin." Dis began monotonously and exhaustingly. "Master Bilbo _has_ prepared himself. _Two hours ago._ Unlike you." She nonchalantly looked up at the ceiling when Thorin turned to glare at her.

"And what would you mean by that, _dear_ sister?" he snarled out.

Dis smiled mischievously to herself. "Oh nothing. Just that you don't seem like you really want to go through with this." She mock sighed and looked disappointed. "I guess we will have to call off the wedding. Bilbo will be so heartbroken. Imagine the look he'll have on his face when he hears that the love of his life doesn't want to marry him!" Thorin did. Dis sighed again, gaining Thorin's attention once more. "And I suppose since you won't leave your room, I will be the one to break the news to him. He will probably be so hurt, he might run away, back into the forest and give himself to the spiders." She sneaked a glance at Thorin. He looked horrified. Satisfied, Dis continued her act. "That would be a frightful tragedy! The poor dear just wanted to get married. But… oh well." She made her way back to the door, but she praised Aule when Thorin's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Wait!" Thorin sounded exhausted much like she had earlier. "Do not do anything rash like that. I know Bilbo has prepared himself. What I have been doing is preparing _my_self." He plopped back on the bed, returning his head into his hands.

Dis sat next to him with a small smile, and put a comforting hand on his back. "I know." She said, apologetically. "I was just trying to get you to admit it."

"You have not changed since you were a child, do you know that?" Thorin asked her, a hint of a smile on his face.

"Oi, I have changed a bit!" she defended, playing along. "I'm nicer than I was back then, that's for sure!"

"But you still frighten people every now and then when they do something to anger or worry you."

"Well, what else would teach them not to be idiots?!" Dis exclaimed with a laugh. "Someone has to show them how to not kill themselves!"

The two laughed for a moment, but the tension in the room thickened once more. Thorin was leaning forward with his forearms resting on his knees and staring forward at nothing. Dis was waiting for him to speak, but she soon found that he probably wouldn't speak until she did. So she spoke. "What's the problem, Thorin? From what I was told, _you_ were the one that proposed to _him_. If anyone should be having second thoughts, it should be Master Bilbo, but instead, it's you! Do you see the problem here?"

"I am not having second thoughts." Thorin sighed, defeated. "I… I am afraid. What if this marriage does not work out? You know how most end, do you not? They end in failure."

Dis rolled her eyes. "My marriage did not end in failure!" She reasoned. "It ended in death…" she trailed off, remembering the day she had been told her husband had died in combat. She shuddered at the memory, but gathered herself quickly and continued. "but it did not end with failure. We were married until death parted us, just like we had vowed."

Thorin remained silent. Dis groaned in exasperation. "Thorin, quit being a bloody moron." She said, not angrily, but not kindly either. "It's queer seeing you all upset over nothing." She patted his back quickly and stood up. "Now are you going to come out or not?" she reached a hand out to her brother to help him up.

Thorin looked at the offered hand, and then into his sister's eyes. There was a glint in them that said, 'you better take my hand, or it's going to slap you'. A ghost of a smile hinted on his face and he reached out to grab Dis' hand. She yanked him up and gave him a slap on the shoulder. "Good choice." She said. "Now listen to me. When you're standing out there, waiting under that arch, you may still be nervous. That's fine. Normal even. But when Bilbo walks in and you see his face, all of the worry will fly out of your head. You'll realize how ridiculous you have been acting. Trust me." She smiled encouragingly.

Thorin nodded lightly and smiled. "Maybe you have changed since you were a child." He joked, punching her lightly on the shoulder.

She laughed as well and delivered a harder punch to his shoulder. It made him cringe only a little. "Just get out there! Everyone is waiting for you! And if you give up on this wedding now, I will personally feed you to the Mirkwood spiders myself!" with that being said, she left the room, calling out that Thorin would be out in a moment.

Thorin chuckled to himself. It was certainly easy to see where Fili and Kili had gotten their mischievous sides from. But as annoying and bothersome as Dis could sometimes be, she had always been there for him. And he had always been there for her. She was really a nice person if you weren't on her bad side. She was fun, as well. Fili and Kili definitely took after her very much.

He looked down at the golden crown resting on the table beside his bed. This was it. He was going to go out there with pride. He was going to marry the loveliest creature in all of Middle Earth, and he wouldn't hesitate. With his head held high, he reached for the crown and placed it on his head with confidence. He would be fine. Everything would be fine. Bilbo would always love him. He would always love Bilbo. Nothing would split them apart. They would be happily married for the rest of their lives.

Thorin strode out his door, not looking at anything but his current destination; the large golden arch mounted in front of his throne. Everyone turned in their seats to look at him, but he didn't acknowledge their presence. Now stood next to the arch, Thorin breathed deeply when he heard Balin whisper to Bofur behind him. "Go and get Master Bilbo!" he had said. Bofur took off immediately, seeming in a hurry. Thorin just kept breathing.

Everything would be fine.

* * *

Bilbo fingered the braid in his short, curly hair, twirling it around as he smiled to himself. He was getting married! The bead in his hair was proof of it. Thorin had given it to him the day they returned to Erebor as a symbol of their courting. The bead had been forged from a piece of the Mountain's Heart; the Arkenstone. It was a beautiful gem, glowing multiple colors at once, forming a pastel rainbow around the smooth stone. Bilbo felt honored wearing a piece of it in his hair. The stone was a very important relic to the mountain, and meant very much to the dwarves. But everyone agreed that he deserved to wear it in his hair, and he would gladly accept.

Out of the silence, a timid knock was sounded behind Bilbo's chamber doors. "Come in!" he called, straightening his coat, and brushing his curls back from his eyes.

"Master Bilbo, are you-" It had been Bofur at the door and when he peeked his head into the room and saw Bilbo for the first time that day, his jaw dropped to the floor. Bilbo was in a long, white cape that pooled on the floor behind him, forming a thick train just too short of people needed to carry it for him. He wore a white, long-sleeved shirt underneath a light grey vest, and his breeches were a light grey as well. There were blue tulips woven into his engagement braid, which was beaded off by the sparkling Arkenstone. His green eyes were shining so brightly, they lit up his entire face, aided by his sweet smile. He was beautiful.

Bilbo frowned at the gaping Bofur, who hadn't moved for the past few seconds. "Bofur?" he asked, inching closer to his friend. "Are you alright?" he placed a hand on Bofur's cheek, as if checking for his temperature.

Bofur shook his head, clearing his mind of Bilbo as much as he could. But he found that the hobbit had at, some point, migrated to him and was putting a hand on his face. He jerked away from the touch in surprise with a gasp, and he regretted it instantly when he saw Bilbo's hurt expression. "Sorry." He apologized, stepping further into the room and closing the door behind him. "I uh… spaced out there for a second. Nothing to worry about. You just surprised me, is all. I wasn't afraid of you touching me or anything if that's what you thought, because I didn't mind you touching me!" he paused and colored heavily at what he had just said. "Not that I'm saying I _want_ you to touch me, just that if you did, I wouldn't mind you know? Because we wouldn't be friends if that-"

"Bofur!" Bilbo cut in, giggling endlessly. "I understand. I merely frightened you. There was no harm done, right?"

"Err… right. No harm done." He repeated distractedly.

"Exactly." Bilbo stopped giggling and stared Bofur in the eyes. "So…" he began in a small voice. "How do I look?" he clasped his hands in front of him and waited for his friends reply eagerly.

Bofur paused for a long while, dumbstruck once again. "You look… gorgeous…" he smiled nervously and turned away down to the floor. "The King is lucky to have found you." He sounded more sad than he did bitter.

Bilbo frowned and rested a hand on his friends arm. "Is anything troubling you, Bofur?" he asked gently. "If there is, you know you may talk to me about it."

Bofur sighed heavily and met Bilbo's striking eyes. If they were shining any more, then he would have to look away, for fear of going blind. The thoughts began racing in his mind; should he tell Bilbo? What would Bilbo do if he told him? Would he be disgusted? Would he be happy? Would he be impassive? But the last one made his blood ran cold. What would happen if Thorin found out? But surely Bilbo wouldn't tell a living soul. He was too kind. And he deserved to know. "Bilbo, I…" he looked Bilbo straight in the eyes. "I know this is your wedding day, and the wedding itself is about to begin, but… I have to tell you." He took breath, and exhaled loudly. "I think I'm in love with you."

Bilbo covered a hand over his mouth, and the entrancing eyes widened. But it was not out of fear or anger. It was merely out of shock. The confession had caught Bilbo very off guard, but the shock soon faded out and turned into pity. "Oh, dear Bofur." He said, maneuvering both of them to his bed and sat them down on the edge. "I'm sorry. But… well, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you why this can't be."

Bofur nodded dejectedly. "I know. You're in love with the king. It's understandable. He's got the charm and the strength and the good looks. I have nothing." He stared at the ground.

"Now, don't start telling yourself that!" Bilbo scolded, and lifted Bofur's head to meet his eyes. "You have plenty to offer to any lucky person in the world you choose! You're funny, you're handsome, and you're very sweet!" he stroked a thumb on Bofur's cheek and smiled at him. "How many times were you there for me, out in the forest? How many times did you make me laugh?"

Bofur laughed lightly. "Alright, I'll give you that." He smiled back.

"See? So don't you ever say things like that again! Unappreciative of yourself, honestly!" Bilbo stood once more and walked across the room to his mirror and made sure the flowers in his hair were staying put.

"Umm… Master Bilbo?" Bofur piped up, still on the bed. At Bilbo's turn of the head he continued. "Just one more thing. If you hadn't met the King that day, before you met me… would there have been any chance…" he trailed off, not knowing how to finish.

Bilbo's smile grew large as he walked back to stand right in front of Bofur. "I think it would have been very easy to fall for you, Bofur." He leaned down and, instead of a kiss on the head, like it always was, he planted a kiss on Bofur's red cheek. "But, if we did not end up with each other in the end, then it was not meant to be." He took his friends hands in his own. "One day, you will find someone who you deem more beautiful than I, and I will merely be a passing thought. You will be much happier with someone else one day. And when you find that someone else, I will be very happy for you, indeed."

Bofur smiled largely at Bilbo. His speech had reached out to his heart, and pieced all the broken parts back together. It was an amazing feeling. Bofur knew Bilbo was absolutely beautiful, he somehow knew Bilbo was right. There was someone out there for him. And he would find that person one day, and be truly happy. Without thinking, he reached out and pulled Bilbo into a crushing hug. "Thank you, Master Bilbo." He spoke quietly, willing himself not to cry from joy.

Bilbo rubbed his friends back soothingly, not using his words for comfort anymore. He knew that Bofur didn't need consolation anymore. He had made his point. Though, he felt bad, Bilbo was sure he would live to see the day Bofur himself got married. He smiled at the thought.

"Now," Bofur said, leaning out of the hug. "Are you ready to get married?"

"That depends," Bilbo replied, softly. "Are you ready to walk me down the aisle… and give me away?"

Bofur smiled sadly. "Master Bilbo, I would be proud and honored to walk you down that aisle."

Bilbo smiled gratefully, squeezing in another hug, before pulling back completely and staring at the door. "Well then, I'm prepared for this." The smile faded and he took a deep breath, before linking arms with Bofur and making his way out of the door.

* * *

The music started. Everyone stood from their chairs and looked down the aisle to watch Bilbo as he was escorted in.

Thorin grew frantic. He remained standing still, hands clenched together in front of him, but his mind was going insane. He began sweating. Was it hot in there, or was it just him? Everything started to spin. It was now or never. Once Bilbo was standing beside him, there was no turning back. His breathing was erratic. Balin was standing behind him and, hearing his king's frantic and heavy breaths, was looking at him very strangely. Thorin glanced around him. Was it too late to run away? Fake his death? Jump off the mountain?

His breathing stopped. Bilbo stood at the end of the aisle with his arm linked with Bofur's. His beauty was beyond words. He was practically _glowing_, the way the white from his outfit clashed against the dark walls of the mountain. His eyes were glowing as well. So bright they were, that they were they only thing Thorin could keep his eyes on. As Bilbo and Bofur took their time coming down the aisle, Thorin realized that Dis was right. In Bilbo's smiling face, he saw the strongest type of love he had ever seen. He could _see_ the love and devotion and dependence in those shimmering, green eyes that he had fallen in love with.

And just as Dis had said, all his worry flew out of his head.

Bilbo reached the altar at last, after what felt to Thorin like an eternity. Bilbo gave Bofur a chaste kiss on the cheek, and Bofur scurried away as Bilbo turned to meet Thorin's eyes for the first time that night. Thorin choked on his breath before he croaked out in a whisper. "You look…" but he couldn't think of a word to describe his beauty.

Bilbo's cheeks colored considerably. "Thank you." He spoke in a small voice. "You look very nice as well." His breath hitched as he inhaled deeply. Thorin noticed for the first time that night that Bilbo's eyes were shining because there were tears threatening to fall out of them. Thorin would have pulled Bilbo into his arms, comforted him, asked him what was wrong, but Balin began speaking before he could.

"Good evening, ladies and gentledwarves. We are gathered here before the royal throne this day, to witness the coming together of our great King and his new love." He smiled at the two lovers before him. "If you would take each other's hands." He instructed.

Thorin gently took Bilbo's quivering hands into his own shaking hands. "Good. Now let us begin." Balin finished. He turned around to take two red ribbons off the stool he stood in front of. He used the ribbons to tie both of Bilbo's wrists to Thorin's and vice versa. He then turned to look at Thorin. "Now, Thorin, repeat after me. I, Thorin Oakenshield-"

"I, Thorin Oakenshield." He repeated, his voice coming out a bit hoarse.

"Do take this hobbit-"

"Do take this hobbit."

"To be my consort and husband-"

"To be my consort and husband."

"Until the end of my days."

"Until the end of my days."

Balin nodded, smiling largely. "Very good." He bowed shortly and turned now to Bilbo, who was openly crying, but couldn't wipe the tears away. For if he removed his hands from Thorin's the bond would be broken. "Bilbo, if you could repeat after me?" he stated like a question, seeing how Bilbo would have a bit of trouble talking. But Bilbo nodded shakily, confirming that he would indeed repeat Balin's words. "Very well, then. I, Bilbo Baggins-"

"I, Bilbo Baggins." His voice was broken and quiet, but still audible.

"Do accept this dwarf-"

"Do accept this dwarf-"

"And will rule by his side-"

"And will rule by his side-" his voice cracked audibly at 'rule'.

"Until the end of my days."

"Until the end," he swallowed hard. "of my days."

Balin nodded satisfactorily. He took a knife from the folds of his coat and cut the red ribbons that tied the two lovers together. And even though Bilbo's wrists were free, he didn't reach up to wipe away his tears. They were flowing freely from his eyes and trailing down his cheeks. "And now, to confirm the bond," Balin produced a jeweled goblet of some liquid Bilbo had never seen before. "you will drink the Holy Water of Aule. First, Thorin." He handed the cup to Thorin, who took a drink from it and gave it back. "And now, Bilbo." He gave Bilbo the cup.

Bilbo stared into the goblet. He could see a glimpse of his reflection in the liquid and he saw the tears falling from his eyes. He glanced at Thorin, who was watching him as well. He nodded a bit, as if to tell Bilbo it was safe and that, if he wished, he could drink from it. So Bilbo stared into the liquid for a moment longer, before slowly lifting it to his lips and tipping his head back, pouring the water down his throat. He handed the cup back to Balin who smiled kindly at him.

Then, Balin reached behind himself one last time and took a silver crown off a red velvet pillow. He handed it to Thorin with care. "Place the crown upon his head." He instructed kindly.

Thorin stretched out to Bilbo with a pounding heart, and placed the silver crown on the hobbit's head. Bilbo's tears fell harder now, as he felt the heavy crown weigh down his head slightly. Balin smiled joyously.

"And now," Balin stated. "a kiss will seal the bond officially."

Thorin searched Bilbo's wet eyes for any sign of discomfort or concern, but there was none. Sure he was crying, but there was a smile forming on Bilbo's face at last, and though his face had been stained with salty tears, he was just as beautiful as always. Thorin couldn't stop the grin that formed on his own face before he slowly leaned forward and captured his Bilbo's lips with his own.

"The bond has been formed." Balin announced to the hall as the newly wedded couple continued to kiss as if they had forgotten they were standing in front of an entire dwarf kingdom's population. Cheers resounded around the hall. Dis was smiling largely and clapping furiously. Fili and Kili, who were sitting next to her, were whistling and shouting along with rest, maybe even louder. Bofur was tearing up, but clapping along with the others. Dwalin pretended he wasn't affected by the happy news, but inwardly, he was jumping up and down with excitement. Everyone else simply clapped and shouted exclamations of happiness.

Balin coughed slightly, rousing the newlyweds from their moment. Bilbo and Thorin jerked apart, Bilbo turning red as a tomato and Thorin smiling apologetically at his advisor. "Now," Balin shouted, causing the cheers to die down. "We feast until midnight!"

The cheers, as expected, returned.

=========(Mpreg warning from this point on)==========

It was midnight when Bilbo and Thorin had returned to their chamber. There was no tension or awkwardness. They were lying on the bed; Thorin leaning against the headboard, with Bilbo resting his head on Thorin's chest, listening to his heartbeat. It was quiet, but peaceful. And Bilbo had stopped crying long ago. His face was still red, and his eyes were still puffy, but the tears had stopped falling, and he was smiling again.

"Why were you crying?" Thorin asked, looking down at the hobbit in his arms.

Bilbo looked up at his new husband in surprise. "Why would I not cry?" he laughed, and rested his chin on Thorin's chest.

Thorin looked thoroughly confused. "Well, today was supposed to be happy? Why weren't you?"

Bilbo laughed once more. "Thorin, have you not ever heard of 'tears of joy'? I was crying because I was happy!" he inched closer to his husband's face. "Why? Did you think I was sad?"

"Well, you were not smiling, you were not laughing. It looked as if someone had died!" his grip on Bilbo's waist tightened. "It worried me."

Bilbo sighed heavily, and turned his eyes away from Thorin. "Well… to be honest I was afraid at first." He spoke quietly, absentmindedly stroking his hands on Thorin's clothed chest. "For some reason, the moment I stepped under the altar with you, it occurred to me that… you were a king!" he chuckled lightly. "I just realized that by marrying you, I was going to be a ruler as well. That scared me. Especially when you placed the crown on my head." He reached up and gently touched the silver crown. "But after that, the worry just sort of… washed away. I wasn't scared anymore. Only excited." He smiled to himself, and then looked back to Thorin who was smiling as well.

"I was scared as well." Thorin admitted, rubbing his hand up and down Bilbo's spine. "I was afraid that you would not want to continue with the marriage. That you would grow tired of me, and then toss me aside. But," he kissed Bilbo on the head. "I see that I was incorrect now."

"Indeed you were." Bilbo leaned up and attached his lips to Thorin's. Thorin wrapped his arms further around Bilbo, pulling him even closer, if it was even possible. Bilbo smiled into the kiss, and tangled his hands into thick waves of Thorin's dark hair, cascading all over the pillow they laid on. They flipped over, leaving Bilbo beneath Thorin and the kiss quickly grew deeper and more intimate; nothing like Bilbo had ever experienced before. He moaned loudly as Thorin's tongue slid into his mouth explored.

Suddenly, he felt rough, large hands on his body. They ran up and down his sides a few times until they came up to the buttons of his vest. Thorin unbuttoned it slowly, and slid it off Bilbo's shoulders once finished. He reached to unbutton Bilbo's shirt as well, but a hand on his chest and a moan stopped him. He pulled away and looked at the panting hobbit beneath him. "Are we going too fast?" Thorin asked, stroking Bilbo's red cheek. "We can stop if you wish?"

Bilbo shook his head quickly, mind still dazed from the kiss. "No, no, I don't want to stop." The breathlessness in his voice made Thorin shudder. "I just… think… it would be wise to… tell you something." Thorin noticed Bilbo was looking at the ceiling above them, instead of his face.

"What is it, Bilbo?" he asked, giving in to some sort of temptation and leaned down to bite at kiss at Bilbo's neck.

A moan reached his ears, and he smiled as Bilbo tilted his head back further to allow Thorin better access. "I… ah… there is… something, ah, you should… know… about me…" he groaned as Thorin sucked on a particularly sensitive part of his neck.

"What is it?" Thorin mumbled through his ministrations.

"Well… it's just that… the thing about hobbits is… all genders can… carry young." He finished nervously, clutching tightly at Thorin's forearms.

Thorin froze. He pulled away quickly and stared at Bilbo with wide eyes. "What?" was all he could say.

Bilbo wrung his wrists out of nervousness and avoided Thorin's gaze. "Well, I just thought you ought to know before we went any further, that it is possible for me to… become pregnant." He paused and glanced at Thorin's shocked face. "I mean, there are ways to control it!" Bilbo hastened to say, sensing that Thorin was suddenly frightened. "There is a certain herb that one can create and drink once every day, and it will lower the chances of conception greatly, but I have to start taking it about a week before we… well… do this." He gestured between their bodies.

Thorin didn't speak a word. He simply stared. "Thorin?" Bilbo spoke up once more, genuinely worried. "Thorin, are you all right? Does it bother you?" he shied away, and was going to climb off the bed to give Thorin some space, but a tight grip on his arm stopped him from moving.

"You can…" Thorin breathed shakily and gulped audibly. "You can… bear children?"

"Yes…" Bilbo drawled out, eyeing Thorin cautiously. "Is that… alright with you?"

"Alright?" Thorin breathed out, a smile slowly forming on his face. "This is… this is wonderful!" He exclaimed, pulling Bilbo into the tightest embrace possible. He pulled back after a minute or two to see Bilbo's very confused face.

"Really?" The hobbit asked skeptically, arching a delicate eyebrow. "You did not seem too keen upon the idea a moment ago." He reasoned.

Thorin sighed. "I know I was a bit shocked, but this truly is good news, is it not?" he smiled hopefully. "Would it not be amazing to have a child of our own?"

"Of course!" Bilbo answered instantly. "It has been a dream of mine for a very long time, but… I was only worried that you would not want that." he covered his stomach with his arms as he turned away. "But if you want a child like I do… I would certainly give you one." He turned back with a smile. "I would be happy to give you one." He found himself back in Thorin's arms in a moment's notice.

"There is nothing more in the world that I could ask for." Thorin responded, holding Bilbo close. "It is the only thing left that would make this life of mine perfect. A prosperous kingdom, a loving sister and nephews, a beautiful consort, and now… a child we could call our own." He finished, kissing Bilbo chastely on the lips. "That would complete everything."

Bilbo grinned like had never grinned before. "I think it would as well. We would have our own little family. It would be so nice."

They returned to their original position, Thorin on top of Bilbo with hands on either side of the hobbit's head. "Shall we do it, then?" Thorin asked, but it was not light-hearted. His face was blank and serious, knowing that they were now treading on a serious topic. A child was a heavy weight to think about. They couldn't just go about it lightly. They had to seriously think first.

But Bilbo seemed to have made up his mind just as quickly as Thorin had. He smiled up at his husband. "I think we're ready for it." He said, wrapping his arms around Thorin's neck, and pulling him downward.

The decision had been made.

* * *

It was about a week and a half into Thorin and Bilbo's marriage when Bilbo started to feel ill. He would wake up in the mornings feeling light-headed and nauseous, and would get a head-rush when he stood from bed. Thorin would ask him what was wrong when he would almost faint from the dizziness, but Bilbo would ignore him as he rushed into the washroom to ease his stomach pain. He would come out looking pale and exhausted, and one time actually fainted right in the door.

Of course, Thorin had had enough of Bilbo pretending that he was fine and called for Oin's medical expertise. Oin was, of course, glad to help and examined Bilbo thoroughly, much to Bilbo's discontent. He continued to say that he was fine and that nothing was wrong with him, but no one would listen. Even Bilbo himself knew, deep down, that there was something wrong, but he chose to deny it.

After a few moments of looking Bilbo over, he insisted that there was nothing visibly wrong with the hobbit. Bilbo's worry dwindled a bit at that, as did Thorin's. But it hadn't explained why Bilbo was still feeling sick. For the next few days, in fact, Bilbo's condition seemed to get worse. His back ached all the time, he had a constant headache, and he was very warm.

Finally, Thorin called for a band of dwarves to summon for Gandalf the Grey. Gandalf was an old friend of his, a wizard who had a love for simple and happy things. He loved the Shire dearly as well, and the peaceful creatures living in it. He had been overjoyed at the news of Smaug's death and, when found, was delighted to help Thorin and his new consort. He owed them much for the death of the evil King, and wanted to help in any way he could.

He arrived in Erebor in a few weeks time, being lead by Thorin's dwarves who were marching before him in a not-so-orderly fashion. Once inside the gates of the Mountain, he immediately sought out Thorin. After a while of searching, he found the king standing broodingly in front of a pair of large double doors. "Thorin!" he exclaimed, shuffling over to him quickly. "What have you called me for? I was told there was an emergency! Though you had just gotten married, I didn't think there would be one so soon!" he spoke like an old worried friend.

Thorin rubbed roughly at his temples and heaved a great sigh. "Have a look for yourself." Was all he said, as he swung open the chamber doors behind him.

Gandalf was surprised at the scene before him. In the room was a hobbit lying on a large bed, with two young dwarves sitting on either side of him, and a female dwarf standing in the corner of the room, with her arms crossed, looking concernedly at the hobbit. The dwarves, Gandalf knew. Fili and Kili were sitting with the hobbit, and the woman was Dis, their mother. But the hobbit he had never seen before, but he didn't need to be told who he was. It was obviously Thorin's consort, Bilbo. Gandalf stepped further into the room to get a closer look. Bilbo was asleep, breathing evenly under the covers, but his forehead was sweating profusely. His curls were drenched in sweat as well, as if he had just run a mile in the summer heat while wearing a fur coat.

"He does not usually sleep in." Fili spoke up, addressing Gandalf but not moving his worried gaze from Bilbo's face.

Kili nodded his agreement from across the bed. "He's usually awake by now, looking like he's been awake for years." He reached out and stroked Bilbo's hair carefully, as if worried Bilbo could break.

Gandalf stepped up to the bed and placed a hand on Kili's shoulder. "I will do my best to help." He assured. "Now, if I could get everyone to leave the room, I shall begin my examination."

Reluctantly, the dwarves left, but not before Fili and Kili started protesting, begging to stay with Bilbo, but Thorin and Dis grabbed one each and dragged them out into the hall. The moment the doors closed, the brothers rounded on Thorin. "Why are you passive about this?" Kili exclaimed angrily. "Bilbo is sick! If anyone, it should be you who was fighting to stay with him!"

Thorin stared at the ground for a long moment, before raising his head to look at his nephews. "I did not fight it, because Gandalf is one that I trust. And if I must leave the room so Bilbo can be helped… I will."

Fili and Kili stayed silent after that, sliding down to the floor and sitting there for what felt like hours. Dis was standing with them, comforting them with her presence alone. She stood over them like a watchful mother bear that was daring anyone or anything to touch her cubs. She sneaked a glance at Thorin. He looked as brooding as he had in last couple of weeks, which was no surprise. Dis sighed, and decided that her brother could brood for a while longer, before she would decide to reach out and help him.

The silence was deafening, waiting outside that door. Noise was only heard when the occasional dwarf would approach them and ask how Bilbo fared. In response, Dis would shake her head, warning the dwarves that now was definitely _not_ the time to ask. One glance at Thorin's glare made every single dwarf nod furiously and scurry off in fear, promising to ask later. Dis would sigh every time she heard her sons snicker as the dwarf would run away frantically.

An eternity passed before Gandalf finally stepped out of the door. He wore a large, wrinkled smile and spoke cheerily. "Thorin," he waved a hand inside. "If you would step in for a moment. The rest of you will have to wait longer I'm afraid." Fili and Kili deflated, having been ecstatic when Gandalf had appeared. Thorin's heart pounded painfully in his chest as he strode into the room, with Gandalf following behind.

Bilbo was awake now, smiling as largely as Gandalf had been. He brightened visibly when he saw Thorin enter the room, and beckoned him to sit on the bed next to him. Thorin, of course, did not hesitate to make his way over to Bilbo and pull the hobbit onto his lap. Somehow, Bilbo's smile grew ever larger, and looking down at him, Thorin noticed for the first time that Bilbo was resting a hand on his stomach as if it was in pain.

"I thought you would want to hear the good news privately, before having an audience." Gandalf explained from the end of the bed.

Thorin looked up at him in shock. "_Good_ news?" he asked, skeptically. "What good news has come out of Bilbo's suffering?" his gaze turned to Bilbo when he laughed.

"Thorin, I know I was sick." He explained, placing a hand on his husband's. "But trust Gandalf when he says he has good news."

"Then what is it?" Thorin demanded, hating being left out of something so important.

Gandalf and Bilbo shared a look, and Gandalf nodded to Bilbo, as if he was saying, 'After you.' Bilbo nodded back and sucked a deep, trembling breath. "Thorin," he treaded carefully. "The reason I have been sick for the past few days is because… I'm pregnant." He finished with a small smile.

Thorin stared at the hobbit huddled in his arms. He couldn't believe it. He knew that they had tried to conceive, but there had always been that one part of his mind that constantly told him that it wouldn't work. But here Bilbo was, lo and behold, saying that he was pregnant! The grin that stretched across his face was unstoppable. "Are you really?" he asked, putting a hand on Bilbo's tummy as if he would be able to feel the bump already.

Bilbo's nod was all that he received in reply, and they shared an embrace that no other of theirs could match. It lasted so long, and Thorin was fine to stay that way forever, but Gandalf coughed, and roused them out of their moment.

The wizard spoke to them for a long while, telling them that Bilbo was merely having morning sickness before, and that it would go away in time. Also, he explained that Bilbo was so small, and would soon be so big, he would need help going from place to place, but should still be able to walk around just fine. "I shall be available if ever you need my assistance. I'll let you call in the others when you are ready." And those were his last words before leaving the room with a nod of congratulations.

Bilbo and Thorin stared at each other in the comforting silence for a long time. "Can you believe it?" Bilbo spoke, his smile radiant. "Everything is turning out like we had hoped! We are going to have our own little babe." He looked down at his middle. "And we will be a family. Just the three of us, your sister and your nephews."

Thorin lifted Bilbo's chin to look at him. "These next few months will be wonderful." He spoke softly, pressing his hand over Bilbo's. "And the years after that will be even better."

They shared a large smile with each other and knew that nothing in that moment could make them happier.

* * *

_**THE END?**_

_**NOPE! 'CAUSE I'M MAKING A SEQUEL! Continue reading for info!**_

The sequel will be centered around the Frodo/Sam pairing, where Frodo will be Thorin and Bilbo's son, and Sam will be... well Sam ;)

The plot will be similar to that of the Disney movie Tangled, and will be featuring Smeagol and Thranduil AT LAST! It will also feature the One Ring.

THORIN AND BILBO WILL NOT BE IGNORED! They will be in the story many times, and the beginning will pretty much only be them. Further into the story we will start to see the Frodo/Sam stuff, but will still be occasionally checking back with Bilbo and Thorin, in case you were worried about that! :)

So please, if you would like, you can subscribe to my account and keep a watch out for the sequel, or you can just check the archieve every now and then, if you're interested in reading it. But know that I will soon be posting a new story up that won't be the sequel. It's called "My Dear Frodo," so if you see that one, know that it's not the sequel!

Thank you all for sticking through this with me, and for liking, favoriting, following and commenting on the story! I love you all, and hope to see you reading the sequel!


	6. Sequel and Fanart!

So, I would like to say a few things to the people that followed this story a while back!

First of all, THE SEQUEL IS NOW UP! I'm sorry I forgot to post this up a long time ago, but I suppose it's better late than never, right?!  
The sequel is called "The Precious Prince" and can be found on my profile! Feel free to check it out!

Second and last, I would like to thank a writer on Fanfiction for making a fanart for me! I love her so very much for it and can never thank her enough! :D

It was drawn by Kitsune's Temari who is only on Fanfiction .net! She is a very good writer and I hope you will check out her stuff!

Anyway, here is her lovely picture! Just remove the spaces!

siriuslychillin .tumblr image/ 45352997402

The picture is of Bilbo in his wedding attire! And he is EXACTLY how I pictured him!

The picture is, of course, Bilbo in his wedding attire! Isn't he so cute!

Again, the credit goes to Kitsune's Temari. She is a writer on Fanfiction! I suggest checking out her stories! It would mean a lot! :D

And if you would like, you can follow me on Tumblr! Everyone that follows me, I follow back! My username is siriuslychillin! Feel free to follow! I love seeing new followers! :D

Thank you for everything once again! I love you all, and hope to see you in the sequel! :D


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